The Lost Son - The Doors of Death
by dragonswoe
Summary: The war between the gods and Titans is over and Seth had recovered his memories to find out he is the eldest son of Kronos and is known as Theron. He betrayed the Titans and saved Olympus, then willingly descended into Tartarus to revive his family. Now alone in the Pit he must find the other Titans before the gods descend into another war, one that threatens the world. Book 2.
1. Beginning

**_The war between the gods and Titans is over and Seth had recovered his memories to find out he is the eldest son of Kronos and a powerful Titan called Theron. He betrayed the Titans and saved Olympus, then willingly descended into Tartarus to revive his family. Now alone in the Pit he must find the other Titans before the gods descend into another war, one that threatens the world._**

**Here is the second book! I am honestly surprised at how fast the first one was finished. I expected it to be going on for more than a year. So now Theron is in Tartarus and has a very big responsibility.**

**Disclaimer: In no way do i own anything but Theron, the DireWolves, and some types of monsters that i have introduced in this story**

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** Chapter 1 - Beginning**

Weeks had passed and Theron had set out with a vengeance to find the other Titans. First he sent out word that all monsters in the Titan Army were to relocate to Othrys, and then he left the walls of the Black Fortress and ventured out to find the DireWolf Pack and his children. DireWolves were possibly the best trackers available for Theron to use. He knew that to find all of the Titans within a year he would have to do some favours for Tartarus. The primordial was unable to do some things since he was a bottomless pit, but Theron could easily go destroy some monsters that had pissed off the primordial of the Pit and in return he would tell Theron where some of the Titans were. Theron knew that Tartarus didn't like having Titans roaming around and tried to get them out of the Pit, but they had set up a fortress and basically an entire civilization. Theron was the Titan of Hunting so he could try to track the DireWolves and find his children whilst requesting that the pack help him find the Titans, but there were many wolves that travelled on their own and several different monsters that resembled wolves – including Werewolves, or Lycanthropes. Theron had been at the top of Lycaon's hit list ever since the Werewolf King had first met him. Lycaon believed that the ruler of monsters should be someone who was a monster, and he was a perfect candidate. The Titan and the werewolf were always at each other's throats and could never avoid a fight whenever they met. That presented Theron with his first main obstacle. Somehow Lycaon had heard that Theron was in Tartarus alone and took that as a sign. Every few minutes Theron would hear a werewolf howl as he tracked a wolf by its paw prints. DireWolves were usually larger than Werewolves, and that was the only way to tell their tracks apart. Theron could tell he was nearing the wolf as the prints were fresher. He turned a corner a quickly ducked his head as something flew at him. He sighed before flicking his wrist and the werewolf erupted into flames. The fire lit up the dark landscape like a bonfire and howls echoed around. Theron sighed before wielding StormWraith and Valour as he marched towards the howls, intending to destroy the werewolves.

There, stretching for almost half a mile was a whole encampment of werewolves. Theron scowled and walked closer. He vaporised the entire camp from the incredibly safe distance of a few yards from the nearest tent. He smiled as he continued intending to find more tracks, happy that he had stopped nearly a hundred werewolves from entering the surface world.

There was a reason the Titans were considered as the 'Apex Predators' of The Pit. They were the strongest species in Tartarus, not counting Typhoon. Only foolish beings attacked them, or other Titans. Werewolves were an annoyance to Theron, nothing more. Wars between Titans happened frequently. They were very prideful and wouldn't hesitate to attack if someone insulted them. Theron would be a main target of the Titans, both off the council and on it, but the Titans didn't want to upset his father. Kronos was famed for his anger and most of them were afraid of invoking his rage.

Theron sighed as he tried to locate another set of tracks, this time taking care to make they were DireWolf ones before setting off to follow them. He didn't really want to test Koios' philosophy that a Titan couldn't be harmed by his domain. That last werewolf had been far too close to biting him for his liking. After narrowing in on a set of tracks that were far too big for a werewolf, Theron set off again. He walked for days, gradually getting closer to the DireWolf and only stopped to destroy any werewolves that he came across. He noticed his power very slowly decreasing and couldn't sense as many monsters as there would usually be in The Pit. It wasn't a very big drain, but it was enough that Theron could feel it. The Titan could sense when something was wrong with his domains, and when monsters aren't dying something is definitely wrong.

The tracks led straight through the Reforming Grounds and Theron looked at every orange bubble for any Titans. The monsters inside them seemed to sense Theron's presence as he walked by, several of the monsters burst from the bubbles as he approached. Theron felt power emanating from a certain spot a few hundred feet in front of him. He sped up into a run, leaping over several dracaenae and a hellhound emerging from orange bubbles. It took him a few short minutes, but eventually he was looking down at a Titan slowly reforming. He easily recognised his cousin, though he was annoyed that he had found that certain Titan first. He sighed and moved on, remembering to come back to his cousin once he had finished negotiating with the leader of the DireWolf Pack. Knowing that certain Titan, Theron would be more likely to destroy the pack with his cousin by his side, other than utter a single word to them.

After a few more hours of tracking the DireWolf, Theron noticed the tracks were deeper and further spaced as if the wolf had broken into a run. Another two pairs of tracks were beside it. The Titan quickly deduced that the wolf was being chased and he broke into a run, intending to help it if the wolf needed. As he ran Theron was thanked by many monsters, whilst others ignored him and the Titan knew they had found out about his 'gift' to the gods. Mortals were probably screaming in terror right about now, he thought grimly. What he had done was actually a gift, if the gods used it correctly and managed to calm down the mortals soon.

He heard growling and snapping ahead, took StormWraith off his back and barrelled into the first monster he saw that was fighting. Without checking what creature it was, he stabbed it and quickly moved onto the next one. There were a couple of DireWolves that were fighting almost a dozen werewolves, Theron arriving turned the odds into the favour of the DireWolves and the werewolves were soon dealt with.

The DireWolves lowered themselves into a bow as soon as the last werewolf was killed. "Thank you, Lord." They said in unison. Theron had gifted the wolves with the ability to speak after none of the Titans had understood and he had to constantly interpret their words.

"You need not bow to me," Theron said as he slung StormWraith onto his back.

"What are you doing so far from Othrys, Lord?" One of them asked curiously.

"Firstly, stop calling me 'Lord'," Theron ordered. "And secondly, I need to speak with the Alpha as soon as possible. Could you tell me where your camp is?"

"There is no need, Theron," The oldest wolf said. "We were going there before the moon wolves attacked us. We can take you there if you would like?"

"That is a good idea," Theron nodded. "Thank you." The wolves nodded before running off, Theron quickly dived forward and morphed into a DireWolf before following them.

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**Tell me what you think about the first chapter and what you think should happen. Reviews make me want to keep writing.**


	2. The First Revival

**Today is a very special day (for me) so i decided that you should benefit from it too. An early update for everyone!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except Theron, his children, the DireWolves, and some other things that i can't be bothered to say.**

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**Chapter 2 - Talk With The Alpha and The First Revival**

The DireWolves ran for barely an hour before Theron could see bonfires in the distance. They loped straight into the camp and led Theron to a tree where a huge DireWolf was lying down with a careful eye on his surroundings. Theron took a moment to recognise the tree as he same one that he had gotten the wood of his bow from. He barely used the bow any more as he hadn't had a reason to fight from a distance.

The wolf sat up as they approached and Theron's guides bowed to their Alpha before taking their leave. The Alpha inspected Theron briefly before grinning wolfishly. "I assume we need to take this inside?" Theron nodded sharply, if he were to morph out of this form he would immediately be pounced on by dozens of happy DireWolves.

Once they had crawled down a hole at the root of the tree they came into a spacious room with nothing but small lights flickering. Theron stood on his hind legs and changed into his normal form as the Alpha sat on his haunches in the middle of the room.

"So, Theron, what brings you to my pack?" The Alpha said.

"Zekrom, I need your help." Theron said cautiously, Zekrom was the Alpha of the biggest DireWolf Pack and could easily refuse Theron request.

"I thought you would come to us. This is about reviving the Titans, isn't it?" Zekrom asked curiously.

"Yes," Theron replied not even bothering to ask how he knew. "I would like help in finding the Titans roaming the Pit, along with the ones currently reforming."

"And here I had hoped this was a social call," Zekrom sighed.

"Sorry," Theron said. "But if it was just me, it would take decades. With the help of your wolves sniffing them out it could take less than two years."

"What is it that you used to tell me?" Zekrom asked. "Many hunters make light work."

"Too many hunters spoil the scent." Theron nodded. "I know."

"If Lycaon were to catch your scent or even hear of what you are doing, he could not hesitate to attack you whilst you are roaming the Pit."

"Who is the oldest out of us?" Theron asked obviously annoyed. "I know what I am doing, Zekrom. I need some DireWolves to help, and that is why I came to you. I know the other Packs would be just as good, but I know you better than the other Alphas. If you don't wish to help me, just say so. I see no point in wasting my time here." He moved to the exit, but Zekrom cleared his throat.

"You still know how to make people choose quickly, don't you? Not even the gods could change that about you." Zekrom said amusedly. "I will help you, but I will let my pack decide for themselves. I will not force them into anything."

"And that is why I support you as an Alpha." Theron grinned.

"And because I am one of the first Dires you created," Zekrom smirked.

"I still wander what I was thinking that day," Theron frowned and Zekrom stood to crawl out of the room. Theron morphed into the form of a DireWolf and followed him. Once they emerged onto the surface of Tartarus, Zekrom called all of the wolves to order.

"The Titan Theron has come with a request," The Alpha started and immediately gained their attention, Theron saw his children stiffen up and quickly become more excited. "The Titans have failed their attempt at tearing down Olympus and Theron has come to request that we help him revive them, due to our famed ability at tracking. I have agreed to help him, but whether you wish to is another matter. I would think that you would want to help?"

A chorus of agreement quickly rose from all of the wolves and Zekrom backed up. "I ask that The Titan Prince speak about what he plans to do." All noise rapidly ceased and Theron sighed, intending to get revenge on Zekrom for doing this to him. He stood up on his hind legs and turned into his actual form, immediately all of the wolves bowed.

"Rise," Theron said. "I plan to get you to find the Titans currently reforming and report to me whilst I ready the army. The Titans roaming The Pit will hear of this eventually and join me at Othrys, where they will help me train and recruit for our army. If Lycaon should hear of this, report to me immediately and I will come to… deal with him." Theron grinned then turned back to Zekrom. "I must go. I intend to decrease one of cousin's reforming time. Make sure they know their groups, not too small so Lycaon can easily overwhelm them, but not too big that he could easily catch their scent."

Zekrom nodded and Theron took off through the wolves, gesturing to his children that they should join him. The five demititans met him outside the camp will everything they needed. "Where are we going?"

"I found one of my cousins on the way here. We are going back to Othrys and on the way will free him."

"Who was it?" Derek asked.

"My annoying cousin," Theron smiled slightly.

"That doesn't exactly narrow it down, dad." Jaz frowned.

"I know," Theron said. His children rushed to keep up with his long strides as he broke into a run. They jumped onto their pet DireWolves and soon all six of them were running across Tartarus.

Theron tracked his own scent back to his cousin and soon was standing and looking down at him slowly reforming.

"Seriously!" Scott exclaimed. "You had to find him first?"

"Sorry, but it's not my fault who I find first, or who I find last." Theron said as he placed a hand on the orange bubble. He shut his eyes and concentrated as gradually he started glowing. He hand on the bubble glowed golden as energy went from Theron into his cousin. After a few minutes, Theron took his hand off and was breathing heavily, the bubble popped and orange fluid exploded over all of them. The newly reformed Titan stood up and nodded at Theron.

"Welcome back, cousin," Theron said clapping his shoulder.

"Thank you, Prince," The Titan snickered.

"Shut up, Perses," Theron scowled, "Before I send you back there." He then walked off in the direction of Othrys and his children hurriedly joined him. Perses thought for a moment before he followed the older Titan.

'_One down,'_ Theron thought, _'Twenty-Two to go.'_

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**Reviews make my world go round (not literally but you get the point). They let me know that someone is actually reading my story, so it couldn't hurt you to write a few words. Unless you are injured in some way, then don't worry, i can wait for a few days...**


	3. Surprises

**not a mortal: This book is awsom!but i thought tarturas hated the titans,since he killed krios hyperion and possibly iapetus / Firstly, thanks for saying it is awesome and for being the first reviewer. Secondly, Theron and Tartarus sort of share a domain, Theron keeps the monsters in line with the help of Tartarus telling him where they are, and Tartarus doesn't like the other Titans much, but knows if he killed any they would be forced to reform again and they would be in Tartarus for much longer. So he puts up with them.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or Heroes of Olympus. Only Seth &amp; Theron &amp; The DireWolves**

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**Chapter 3 - Surprises**

Back at Othrys Theron had a surprise. Monsters were roaming the grounds already. He recognised an elder dragon. Elder dragons were an older race of dragons that were nearly the size of drakons; they could fly and breathe fire. Perses whistled in appreciation. "How long did it take to do this?"

"I don't know. I have been trying to locate the DireWolf pack for the last week or so, they must have arrived then." Theron said as he looked around at the army that had come.

Perses grinned and made his way over to the monsters, intending to start training them. His two-handed greatsword formed on his back and Theron sighed. "Don't kill any of them, cousin. We need them."

"I make no promises." Perses replied. Theron shook his head and headed into the throne room, his children stayed with the monster army. Once in the throne room, Theron had another shock. Two Titans were lounging around, one of them on a throne whilst the other hovered in the air.

"Ah, nephew," The one on the throne said as Theron walked in. "Of course it's going to be you behind this all."

"Uncle," Theron nodded at the two Titans, "Cousin."

"Tell me, Theron," The elder Titan leaned forward. "Why are you alive, but no one else?"

Theron winced and looked at the floor but said nothing. "Of course," His uncle said bitterly. "You betrayed us again, didn't you?"

"Yes, Koios," Theron said quietly feeling like a child being scolded.

"And what did your father say about that?" Koios asked smirking slightly.

"I'm going to be grounded for millennia."

"Why do you want to raise Othrys again if you practically destroyed it a few weeks ago?"

"It is my fault, and I didn't want to do it." Theron scowled.

"The Fates?" Koios asked curiously and Theron nodded. "Alright, I forgive you. But answer me this, why are a lot of monsters excited about something?"

"Oh, that," Theron laughed. "I may have done something to annoy The Fates."

"What did you do?" The other Titan in the room asked.

"Nice to see you again, Lelantos," Theron bowed his head slightly.

"Nephew," Koios said harshly, "What did you do?"

"I may have destroyed the mist," Theron said sheepishly and the Titans' eyes widened then they started laughing.

"This will annoy The Fates," Lelantos snickered.

Theron shrugged. "I've had enough of them."

"What have you done so far down here?" Koios asked and Theron sat on his throne.

"The DireWolves are now searching for any Titans currently reforming, Perses is training the army and as you have come here, I assume word is reaching all of the Titans roaming the Pit."

"You are correct as to the last one," Koios said, "And what about Iapetus?"

"Don't you mean Bob?" Lelantos snorted and his father shot him a glare.

"He is fine with Hades; at least we know where he is." Theron replied.

Koios nodded and thought for a moment. "Do you have any word from the surface?"

"None as of yet," Theron frowned. "I intend to contact someone and ask what is going on up there."

"Who will you ask?" Koios asked curiously. "Last time I checked you weren't on good terms with any being up there."

"I can ask Hestia," Theron shrugged and Koios frowned.

"Are you on good terms with the gods then?"

Theron made sure to word what he said carefully. "Not completely. I insulted many of them, but the demigods aren't that bad."

"Even the sea's spawn Jackson?"

"He can be a pain in the ass," Theron conceded. "But I'm not on bad terms with him."

"Contact Hestia," Koios nodded. "We need to know what is happening. I can feel something waking, something stronger than us."

Theron frowned and thought for a moment about what Koios had said before he took his leave. A Septim formed in his hand and he made some mist as he walked. "Arke, show me Hestia, probably on Olympus." He threw the obsidian coin in the mist and an image formed. "Sister!" Theron called at Hestia who was tending the flames.

"Theron," Hestia smiled," I haven't heard from you in weeks. How are you?"

"I'm fine, you?" Theron genuinely smiled.

"Tending to the hearth, as always," Hestia replied.

"I was wandering, Hestia. Has anything happened recently?"

"Not much, Percy Jackson was offered godhood and turned it down. Grover the satyr became Lord of the Wild, and Annabeth the architect of Olympus." Hestia listed and Theron nodded.

"Anything else?"

"Mortals are screaming in panic whenever they see a monster," Hestia said and looked at Theron sharply.

Theron grinned. "It was a gift!"

"You destroyed the mist." Hestia stated.

"If the gods know what to do now, it will be a great asset to them." Theron said.

Hestia shook her head but was smiling slightly, "And what of you, brother? What have you been up to recently?"

"I have found three Titans and a pack of DireWolves are searching for the others," Theron then cleared his throat. "This is not just a social call, sister. We can sense something stirring and there are fewer monsters than there should be in Tartarus at the moment. I sense another war on the horizon, Hestia."

Hestia nodded. "I do too. We don't know what it is yet, but some of us can sense it."

"Could you keep me updated on what happens please?" Theron asked.

"I will as much as possible," Hestia agreed.

"Thank you, sister," Theron nodded before he said goodbye and disconnected the message. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair, quickly deciding to have a nap whilst he had a chance. His room was on one of the upper levels of Othrys, next to Rhea and Kronos'. He had a secret passageway in one of the walls that led up into the dragon hold and the room was simply furnished. A window led onto a balcony through which Theron could see Perses 'training' the army. The Titan of Destruction was pummelling the monsters and training them that way, he had some anger issues.

_In Theron's dream he found himself in 'The Palace of Fate'. The Fates were looking at him and he quickly bowed, not wanting to annoy them even more. Instead of them punishing him for anything they spoke a prophecy._

"_Their forces awaken,_

_Father and son are shaken,_

_To work as one,_

_Till the deed is done,_

_To find the doors of death,_

_And protect to their last breath,_

_Alliances will be made,_

_And a goddess will be forgiven for making a Titan fade."_

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**My prophecy comes in earlier this time (though there will be another in this story). How many of you can interpret what it means?**

**And we discover what Theron's 'gift' to the gods is. Koios, Lelantos and Perses are ready. Only around twenty to go!**


	4. Weakening

**not a mortal: Oh and thanks for expanding my knowledge on titans I've never heard of a titan perses / All of the Titans will be featured in this story, I have always been intrigued by them and how they act to one another so this story is fun for me to write. Oceanus will be a main character because when he meets Poseidon not on the battlefield it will be fun to write...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson. Theron is my character along with his children and the DireWolves.**

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**Chapter 4 - Weakening**

Theron and the three other Titans he had found trained the army for months, every day more monsters joined them until the army no longer fit in the land surrounding Othrys and Theron was forced to request that Tartarus allow them more space for the army to move and train. In return the primordial had hold Theron to destroy an encampment of Lycaons that were getting under his skin – literally – and the son of Kronos had happily agreed. More Titans joined Theron at Othrys until there were fifteen of them wandering the halls. Othrys didn't look so empty and dusty anymore, it looked pristine and nearly like it used to with the sound of several Titans training the army.

The last Titan to find them had caused a lot of unrest as they still remembered how she had caused their downfall. Theron had quickly leapt to his mother's defence along with several Titans and weapons were almost drawn until Koios yelled at all of the council members to take their seats. There were now six seats occupied in the throne room. Rhea had been wandering Tartarus until she heard that more and more Titans were going back to Othrys, Phoebe had soon joined Koios when she heard that he was there with their son Lelantos, and Mnemosyne had appeared one day in the throne room. Krios had come in raving about The Legion and how he would destroy them when he had a chance. The other Titans had quickly stopped him from going to the surface as they needed no one to know what they were doing.

Epimetheus had been the fourth Titan to return to Othrys, closely followed by Aura the daughter of Lelantos and Leto. After Phoebe, Menoetius and Prometheus had strolled into the Fortress. Theron and Prometheus had quickly been at each other's throats and the older cousin had nearly run him through before Koios pulled him away. After them Metis, Asteria and Astraeus had joined them. Perses made small buzzing noises around Metis, trying to sound like a fly. That had nearly caused weapons to be swung, until the Titans of the council he quickly brought order. Theron wasn't exactly helping by congratulating Perses, either. After Mnemosyne, Krios had walked into the Fortress and demanded that they set the army loose onto The Legion. Then the Titans found Rhea in the throne room.

Theron's energy was rapidly decreasing until he felt that even Prometheus could defeat him in battle. The monsters that never returned to Tartarus combined with a being that had been haunting his dreams meant that he barely slept. Lycaon's wolves irregularly attacked the army – though the werewolf King was nowhere to be seen - not doing much but killing several dozen monsters every time, the loss of Theron's domain was starting to get to him. As a result of that, he was tired and moody nearly all of the time. When the most foolish Titan, Prometheus, cracked a joke that Theron was on his period, the Prince finally snapped. The Titan of Forethought and crafty council had found himself thrown through several black marble walls and the elder Titans quickly restrained their nephew from following his younger cousin to beat him to a pulp. After a brief and easily struggle they managed to get him on his throne and Rhea had started trying to calm him down. They realised how weak he was. Before, he would have put up a fight for a few minutes, but it had taken them a short few seconds. He slumped down in his throne and with the bags under his eyes he looked old.

"Son, why are you so tired?" Rhea asked curiously.

"You look weak, nephew," Koios commented.

"Thanks," Theron muttered.

"Theron," Krios said leaning forward his eyes harsh. "What is wrong?"

"My power comes from monsters," Theron murmured.

"Lycaon's raids have been to weaken you," Koios realised.

"It's working," Theron nodded as he shifted tiredly on his throne.

"Why don't you just sleep?" Phoebe asked.

"His dreams are being haunted by some being," Mnemosyne answered.

"You knew?" Rhea asked furiously.

"No," Mnemosyne frowned. "His memories are easy to read."

"Whoever it is, their full power has to be more than Theron's, so that rules out any of us, or the gods." Koios said. "So that means the only beings left are…"

"The Primordials," Krios nodded, "But which one?"

"Nephew, do you know who it is?" Phoebe asked.

"I think you all know." Theron stated and they nodded.

"It's Gaia, isn't it?" Koios said and Theron nodded.

"'Mother Earth' is rising, intending to get revenge. We have always had a rocky relationship. She is trying to get rid of me." Theron said quietly.

"Increase the border patrol to have an elder dragon each," Koios said after a few minutes of silence. "We need to raise the amount of monsters we have, a breeding program or something. If we tell the DireWolves to work harder and sniff out the rest of us we will be able to stop Lycaon's werewolves from attacking. Theron, you need to sleep," Theron opened his mouth to interrupt but Koios continued and didn't give him a chance. "No buts, if we have to, I'm sure Mnemosyne will agree to watch over you whilst you sleep to stop mother from stopping you from getting any rest."

"Do I get any say in this?" Theron asked exasperated.

"No." Krios smirked. "You are the youngest on the council, but possibly the most powerful of us. If we lose you, not only will several of us lead a war to get you back, Kronos will be furious if you fade under our watch, and the army will quickly disperse without you here to control the monsters."

Theron sighed. "If you are going to increase the amount of monsters on watch, add a DireWolf to each group. They should be able to sniff out any Werewolves before they get close." Koios quickly agreed then the Titan council was brought to an end. Theron quickly stood up and tried to follow his uncles out to the training ground, but was stopped by Mnemosyne and Rhea.

"Where do you think you're going?" Rhea asked as she crossed her arms.

"To train?" Theron asked hopefully.

"No, you're not. What did we just decide?"

"But, mother! I want to train!" Theron complained.

"Train once you've rested," Rhea ordered. "Bed, now!"

Theron scowled and flashed himself to his room. He quickly lay on his bed not bothering with taking off his armour and tried to sleep. Mnemosyne flashed after him and summoned a chair in the corner, slightly upset with having babysitting duty. She was bitter about his betrayal along with several other Titans, but respected him for obeying orders from The Fates despite them going against Othrys and then breaking an Ancient Law, signalling that he wasn't completely their servant. He played his cards carefully, knowing that The Fates needed someone that could alter events directly. Theron could due to his domains, but few other immortals could do the same.

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**So the Titans know what is happening, but have no intent to fight her. Lycaon isn't finished with Theron yet, Gaia still has plans for her grandson.**


	5. The Wolf House

**not a mortal: Sorry for so many questions but will the giants be introduced in this? If you want me to stop** **asking stuff u only need say so :-) thanx keep it up ur my fav writer** **except** **for rick** **riordan** **that is lol. / I believe that this chapter will answer your question. And I don't mind if you keep asking questions :)**

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**Chapter 5 - The Wolf House**

Theron slept peacefully once Gaea had realised that Mnemosyne was watching over him. Gaea had tried to give him visions of what could happen. She had always given him the same one at least once every night that he slept. It was of him and Lycaon facing each other on a plain with a battle raging in a valley below them, a mountain loomed over the battlefield and a storm swirled above the peak. Theron was surrounded by werewolves with no one to help him, he looked beaten and completely worn out as the wolves circled him.

Theron apparently slept for two full days, though how Mnemosyne knew in Tartarus those two days had passed he didn't know. He woke feeling a lot more energized and stalked onto the training field ready to train when an Arke-Message shimmered into existence in front of him. Hestia was looking at him, she kept shimmering and changing her form into one that Theron recognised was Vesta.

"Brother, I need your help," Hestia quickly said.

"What's happened?" Theron asked curiously.

"Gaea is rising," Hestia said, "Hera is captured and a quest is trying to free her, they are at the Wolf House. There is an ambush-"

"Slow down." Theron held up a hand. "I thought the Wolf House was a roman place, not Greek?"

"Times have changed. We are trying to bring the Greeks and Romans together."

"So why do you need my help?"

"They are unprepared for the ambush, the Hunters are already there fighting, but they will be overwhelmed." Hestia explained.

"Who are they fighting?" Theron asked.

"Lycaon."

Theron growled and StormWraith appeared on his back. "The Wolf House, right?"

"Yes," Hestia nodded.

Theron flashed away to the surface and blinked to get used to the sudden brightness. A blizzard was whirling and stopping him from seeing that far, but he could clearly hear the howls and snarls of the werewolves. He stalked towards a clearing and could make out shapes moving in it, he took StormWraith off his back and twirled the hybrid weapon around his wrist.

"Lycaon!" He roared into the blizzard. "Come at me!" He lit his hands up in fire and blasted it into the air, the fire split and covered the clearing, Theron quickly felt a power fight against his own as the snow started to clear and he could see exactly what was happening. A helicopter crashed in the clearing and Theron stopped the flames, having gotten his bearings. He concentrated on the senses of a DireWolf and quickly felt everything around him as it moved.

A howl echoed around and a man approached Theron through the blizzard, his eyes were red and his teeth were sharp fangs. "I was wondering if my would see you here, Prince," Lycaon bowed mockingly. "Have you been getting any sleep recently? You look tired."

"Cut the crap, Lycaon." Theron growled. "I know that your patron tried to make me fade."

"And yet you have come here, to try to foolishly stop the Giant King from rising whilst you are severely weakened." Lycaon snapped.

"Can't we get past this?" Theron asked exasperated.

"You were my subject!" Lycaon snarled. "I was the King-"

"I was posing as a subject!" Theron shouted. "It wasn't me that told you to kill your children and feed them to the gods!"

"You didn't stop me, and that ruined my life." Lycaon started circling Theron and the Titan stood still, not bothering to face him.

"There was no point in stopping you, it wouldn't have done anything. You were too proud a King." Theron said.

"It's because of you that I am a lycanthrope, son of Kronos," Lycaon snarled, "I am a monster, you are not. I should be the King of Monsters."

"We've been over this hundreds of times," Theron sighed, "And we always end up fighting, so let's stop talking as we won't get anywhere."

Lycaon replied by launching himself at Theron's back, the Titan twisted around and brought the shaft of his weapon down to crack across the King's back. Lycaon snarled and lunged at Theron with his claws out, Theron quickly blocked the attacks and retaliated by swiping with the side of the trident, Lycaon swiftly ducked under the blow and slashed at the armour covering his chest. Theron laughed as the werewolf's claws clanged off his armour.

Lycaon retreated before Theron could gut him and the Titan quickly decided to use his warglaives. Lycaon was an agile werewolf that replied on speed to attack, Theron would have to match his speed if he wanted to hit the werewolf king. Lycaon charged again and Theron's eyes glowed gold as he concentrated on slowing him down, after a slight struggle the Titan managed to slow Lycaon down enough that he could easily deflect his claws. Lycaon growled and attacked without holding back, Theron could barely keep up.

"Come on," Lycaon mocked. "You're a Titan, aren't you?" Theron thought that was similar to what his father had told him when they had fought in the Olympian throne room. His eyes narrowed and he attacked Lycaon using all of his strength, shearing straight through one of the werewolf's hands. Lycaon retreated back with a howl of pain. Theron knew that only silver could hurt werewolves, but he was the Titan of Monsters so he could easily bypass that ability.

"I will destroy you!" Lycaon howled.

"Good luck with only one hand," Theron muttered. Lycaon lunged at Theron and the Titan easily blocked his attack without having to stop another, though he almost missed the fangs that snapped shut near his throat. Theron swiftly ducked under Lycaon and as the werewolf tried to pull back, kicked him in the chest. Before Lycaon could react, Theron attached the two warglaives together, and then threw StormWraith and the middle point struck the Werewolf King's neck. StormWraith sailed through the air with golden dust trailing behind it into the blizzard and Theron sighed. He realised that the fighting was still going strong around him and he had just thrown his weapon away. He quickly wreathed himself in flames and made his way towards the Wolf House in the middle of the clearing. Anything that leapt at him from the blizzard received a fireball to the face for its troubles.

As he neared the Wolf House a silver arrow flew at his face. He grabbed the shaft mid-air and continued as a figure in silver emerged, several of them were surrounding the building.

"Be careful with that, you might hit someone!" Theron cried in mock astonishment. The Hunter gave him a death glare and pulled back another arrow that was nocked on the string. A black blur darted from the blizzard and straight at the Hunter, Theron didn't think and dived at the blur. Halfway into the dive he morphed into a DireWolf and knocked over the creature. With a savage wrench, he tore out its throat and the werewolf turned into dust. Theron stood up and morphed back as he raised an eyebrow at the Hunter.

"Be careful, that one could have bitten you," He smirked before going into the Wolf House to save his sister.

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**So Theron is going to save his sister, Gaia has many plans for him still and the Titans won't be happy when they find out that Theron is missing. Next chapter : A little surprise for Theron.**


	6. Earthen Spires

**No reviews? I'm upset :( so Theron's part in The Lost Hero is almost finished. Doors of Death will not be as long as Crooked One's Rise, probably 30 chapters at most.**

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**Chapter 6 - Earthen Spires **

The first thing Theron saw were the earthen spires. Then he saw his sister in one, whilst the other looked like the top half of a body. Thalia was arguing with the Queen of the Gods about intestinally challenged cows, falling statues and kidnapping brothers until she eventually stormed out past the Titan. The more he heard, the paler he got. Apparently, Porphyrion – Theron's giant uncle – was slowly rising using Hera's power. He would have appreciated Hestia telling him that. As Theron watched the air became colder rapidly and his breath changed into mist. Frost started to coat the walls of the Wolf House, growing up it like ivy.

Venti suddenly rushed into the courtyard, followed by werewolves and earthborn – earth creatures that resembled a man with six arms. The three demigods readied themselves for battle and a wolf padded forward, dragging as ice statue by the leg. One of the half-bloods took a tin of breath mints from a tool belt around his waist until he settled on a hammer.

"Thalia!" Jason tried to run forward but the two other half-bloods stopped him. "Who did this?" The son of Jupiter crackled as electricity danced around his body. "I'll kill you myself!"

A girl laughed from behind the monsters and moved forward to the front. "Alas, son of Hephaestus, you say you need time? I'm afraid time is one tool you do not have on your side." Khione laughed.

Theron decided now would be a good time to reveal himself and summoned StormWraith to his hand as Valour appeared in his left. "I disagree." Theron said as he stepped forward. Every single being's eyes snapped towards him as he advanced to stand between Khione and the demigods. The werewolves snarled as they smelt him and the Venti shifted uneasily. Hera's eyes widened and Theron took his drakon helm off. Immediately several wolves charged at him, his golden eyes flared and they moved in slow motion. Theron snapped his fingers and the half a dozen wolves burst into flames.

"If anyone else wants to attack me, be my guest." He held his arms out wide as if inviting them to attack, several wolves moved forward, but Khione stopped them.

"Who are you?" Khione asked.

"I have many names," Theron cocked his head to the side as if he was considering the question. "Though you can call me 'Slayer of Lycaon', I seem to have received that title many times." He smirked and the werewolves snarled at him.

"I won't ask again." Khione hissed. "Who are you and why are you here?"

"I am Theron," the Titan straightened up, "The eldest son of Kronos and Prince of Othrys. As for why I'm here…" He twirled StormWraith around and grinned. "I heard my sister was captured, I came to free her."

"You are too late!" Khione snapped.

"Wait a minute, hold up!" One of the half-bloods said and waved his hands in the air. "What is going on here? We were ready to fight!"

"Shut up, Leo." Jason ordered.

"Are you not paying any attention to what's going on here? He just came out of the shadows!" Leo cried.

"Leo Valdez," Theron mused, "You're wrong. I came out of Tartarus."

"Why are you here?" Piper asked putting charmspeak into her voice.

Theron glared at the daughter of Aphrodite. "If you try to charmspeak me again I could send you to have some quality time with my little brother Hades."

"Stop arguing!" Jason yelled desperately.

"So, Jason Grace," Khione smiled coldly. "You understand what is happening. Your blood will be spilt here with the bodies of these demigods." She gestured to Leo and Piper. "Your brethren will be outraged."

"Demigods against demigods," Jason muttered and Theron was beginning to realise what Gaia was planning.

"It's so easy! As I told you, I encourage what you will do anyway."

"Why? Khione, you'll tear the world apart – the giants will destroy everything. Call off your monsters. You don't want that." Piper spread out her hands and put charmspeak into her words.

Khione laughed. "I am a goddess! You can't charmspeak immortals, girl. I'll overthrow Aeolus and let the storms run free. If we destroy the mortal world, all the better! I was never honoured! When we retake the ancient places, I will cover the Acropolis in snow."

"The ancient places," Leo repeated. "That's what Enceladus said about destroying the roots of the gods. He meant Greece!"

"Join me, son of Hephaestus. Reject the destiny the Fates have given you. Live, and be my champion. Your skills would be quite useful." Khione suggested.

Leo hesitated for a moment then started laughing, "Right. That's until you get bored of me and turn me into a Leosicle? Nobody messes with my dragon and gets away with it."

Khione's face turned red and she shot a blast of wintery sleet at the demigods. Theron planted StormWraith in the snow and a wave of fire erupted from the tip. The snow dissolved in a steamy cloud, along with the first few ranks of Khione's small monster army.

"See, Lady," Leo grinned. "That's what happens to snow in Texas. It melts."

"Enough of this, Hera is failing and Porphyrion is rising. Kill the demigods and the Titan. Let them be our King's first meal!" Khione ordered.

"Great," Theron muttered, "I have to attract another cannibal King." The demigods raised their weapons and readied themselves to charge, but Theron signalled for them to stop. He took a few steps; leaving StormWraith buried in the snow and punched the ground. For a moment nothing happened and Khione laughed as the demigods looked nervous. Then the ground erupted around the Titan and a wave of earth shot towards the small army, enveloping them completely. Wolves darted out of the cloud towards him snarling and the demigods took that as their cue.

Theron held his hand out and summoned StormWraith as Valour appeared in his left hand. The Wolves met Theron like a gale force. He swung StormWraith and batted away five that were trying to flank him. He felt full of adrenaline, fighting was what most of the Titans lived for and Theron wasn't an exception. He let his violent side come out, the one that destroyed hundreds of werewolves and the one that led the Titan's army in the Titanomachy. The half-bloods stayed clear of him in fear of him attacking them next. Leo charged straight at Khione and his fiery aura was countering her winter magic. Piper dazed the earthborn then sliced them apart when they were too confused to retaliate. Jason tamed a storm spirit and rode it through the other Venti, electrocuting them. Theron found himself running out of enemies and chased after the wolves that fled. He morphed into a DireWolf to keep up with them.

In his blood lusting state Theron chased them down until he killed every last one. He was about to flash down to Tartarus when the ground shook and a loud roar echoed around. "Alive!" The voice bellowed. "Praise to Gaia!"

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**So Theron is going to be in a little trouble next chapter... His uncles enjoy beating the crap out of him and the giants will be no exception. Next chapter will be updated in around 4 days so stay tuned...**


	7. Bravery Is Fake

**not a mortal: Is typhoon stronger than the giants cause if so kronos would be more powerful than the giants / Yes. Typhon is definately stronger than the giants. Typhon is the child of Gaea and Tartarus, whilst the giants are the children of Gaea and Tartarus. Kronos and the Titans are weaker than the giants if only because the Titans have been losing power over the years they have been in Tartarus as mortals forgot about them and stopped worshiping them. Combine their already weak abilities and the loss they suffered in the Second Titan War and you have one very weak race of immortals. The giants will never lose power as they get theirs from the earth/Gaea, so they are stronger than the Titans.**

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**Chapter 7 - Bravery Is Fake**

Theron arrived at the Wolf House in time to see Porphyrion raise his spear to impale Jason Grace. He immediately grew to twenty-one feet and threw StormWraith. Porphyrion stumbled as the trident impaled in his shoulder. "Hey, dolphin boy!" Theron yelled. Porphyrion turned as Theron's weapon flew back to his hand.

"Who are you?" Porphyrion asked curiously.

Theron muttered a few words under his breath. "I'm shocked that you don't know me, uncle." He grinned.

"You're Kronos' brat?"

"I prefer 'Prince of Othrys', but 'Kronos' brat' works fine too."

"Mother has plans for you, little Titan."

"I know, and I'm pretty sure it involves fading." Theron frowned. "Please tell her I'm not interested."

"That wasn't a request," Porphyrion growled and pointed his spear at the Titan.

Theron backed away slowly. "Point that thing at someone your own size."

"I would, but every being here is so small. You are the closest to my size." Porphyrion swung his spear and Theron quickly jumped to the side.

"What about now?" He asked as he shrank down to his usual height of eleven feet.

"That just makes it easier for me to squash you." Porphyrion sneered.

Theron glanced at Hera in her cage as he backed away from the giant. The Titan needed to stall him a little longer. Leo and Piper were almost done. He looked back at the giant in time to be flung through the air and into a wall. "You're worse than Hyperion!" Theron groaned as he staggered to his feet. "What is wrong with my uncles?" He spat out a glob of ichor.

"Are you ready to die, little Titan?" Porphyrion asked.

"Not exactly," Theron smirked as Leo and Piper broke the cage. The tendrils turned to dust and the mud around Hera disintegrated. The goddess grew in size and glowed with power.

"Yes!" The Queen of the Gods said. "Now I shall have my revenge!" Porphyrion back away from Theron and slammed his spear against the earth, disappearing into the ground.

"Cover your eyes, my heroes!" Hera shouted as she glowed brighter. Theron's eyes widened and he threw up his arms, erecting a barrier around the half-bloods as Hera turned into a supernova. Every monster that was still in the area vaporised immediately and Theron struggled to hold up the barrier. Hera soon became her mortal form and Theron dropped the barrier as soon as he could.

"What in the name of Tartarus was that for?" Theron yelled as he leaned against the wall struggling to regain his breath.

"I told them to cover their eyes." Hera sniffed.

"Yes, but your champion didn't. You would have killed him!" Theron argued.

"I'm fine," Jason interrupted as he didn't really want the two of them to do that at the same time, the Wolf House would probably explode with the power.

"Well, I must be going." Theron said quietly. "The council will likely punish me for this, but I saved a member of the family, so I don't care what my punishment is."

"How did you know?" Hera asked.

"Hestia told me," Theron winced as he stumbled over to them, "Though I couldn't resist killing Lycaon."

"Thank you for helping," Hera said softly.

"You're my little sis. Of course I'll help you."

Hera snorted. "Please don't tell me you'll be like Apollo."

"Of course not," Theron smirked. "I think you'll find I'm a lot like our father."

"Is that good or bad?"

"It depends if you're the child." Theron laughed. "Though I must go, the council-"

"I get it." Hera smiled, though it quickly faded when an angry shout echoed around.

"What in the name of Hades are you doing here?"

Theron shut his eyes. "Look… Thalia, I didn't know who I was or-"

Theron was interrupted by a bolt of lightning hitting his back and he growled reflexively. "Save it for someone who cares," Thalia retorted.

"Can we talk about this some other time?" Theron asked and glanced at Hera. "I don't exactly want the Titans to come here."

"Go," Hera nodded, "We will talk later."

Theron nodded and swiftly summoned his weapons. He was about to teleport away when a sleepy voice echoed around the clearing. "I knew you would come, son of Kronos. You have walked straight into my trap."

Theron cursed and readied StormWraith. "You have no business here! Leave. Else I will be forced to kill you."

"You bravery is fake, Theron," The voice hissed. "You are weak. Lycaon has done his job well enough."

Theron took a deep breath. "Leave, Gaia. The Titans will be here soon. Then you will have no chance."

"I will be done with you before they get here." Gaia laughed and the earth shot out of the ground beside Theron, knocking StormWraith out of his grip. Hera tried to blast the earthen tendrils, but it did nothing. The demigods watched in sick fascination as Theron was quickly surrounded. He slammed his fist into the earth around him and it momentarily crumpled before quickly filling in the hole again.

The Titan could hear yelling as he continued to try to punch through the earthen cage, but only managed to tire himself out rapidly with every punch he threw. Gaia laughed at his futile efforts. "It is useless, grandson! You are no match for me!" Theron didn't reply; he was too busy trying to not get squashed. He could see Hera looking at him in shock as she fired wave after wave of golden energy at the cage rising around him.

"Say goodbye, Titan," Gaia hissed as the earth blocked out all of the light around him and twisted, gradually closing in on him. Theron braced himself against the sides and pushed, trying to stop it from closing in on him completely.

"You are stubborn, just like your father," Gaia muttered and the voice echoed all around Theron. "But no matter, you cannot hold up against me for much longer, grandson!"

Theron scowled from within the cage. "Go to Tartarus!"

"So be it!" Gaia growled and Theron felt the cage suddenly tighten, cutting off all of his air supply.

Then Theron smelt something he hadn't smelt in decades. "Release him, mother! Or I swear I'll tear you to pieces!" A voice roared and Theron heard a sound like water.

"Son," Gaia hissed. "This has nothing to do with you."

"I disagree. You are trying to force the Prince of Othrys to fade! You have brought the Titans' wrath down on you." The Titan bellowed.

Theron felt the force around him lessen and Gaia's presence disappeared. He collapsed to the ground, feeling his energy run out. Hera was watching the Titan that had helped them nervously as he hefted Theron up on his shoulders. The Titan took one look around at everyone staring at him in shock before chuckling and disappearing into sea water.

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**Who is the Titan that has come to save Theron? What will happen next chapter?**

**A question for this chapter:**

**Can you name all of the Seven?**

**I am looking for someone who will do a 'Reading The Crooked One's Rise' story. Please contact me by review or PM if you want to have a shot at this.**


	8. Lucky To Live

**Sorry for the longer than normal wait, but my teachers have decided that now would be a great time to give me exams. The next chapter could be up in four or so days, depending on the reviews i get.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but anything that is not in the actual Heroes of Olympus series.**

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**Chapter 8 - Lucky To Live**

_Five months after the events of the last chapter…_

"Still no sign," Hyperion scowled. "How do you know he isn't taking a vacation?"

Koios raised an eyebrow at his brother, "Because he has been gone far too long for that. Something happened, he has disappeared."

"He will be fine," Themis waved her hand dismissively. "He's wandered off on his own before, why is this any different?"

"Yes," Rhea acknowledge, "He has gone off on his own ventures before, but he has never been that weak on any of his previous ones."

"Just the fact that we sensed mother on the surface around the time Theron disappeared should have been enough of a warning to us." Koios frowned.

Eurybia looked around the council – almost all of the seats were now filled – and met the eyes of her half-siblings. "We all know of mother's hate towards the Prince. It can't be a coincidence that she shows up and he goes missing."

"Eurybia is right," Mnemosyne said quietly. "Mother hates him with a passion, though I have never quite understood why, and wouldn't hesitate to force him to fade."

"He is the Titan of Elements, he essentially stole Gaia's domain of earth. Like Oceanus and Poseidon, there is heavy rivalry between the two." Koios explained.

"I say we leave the brat," Hyperion voted, "Even though he is the Prince, he can be an annoying pain in the _podex._"

"I'm sure you'd like to explain that to Kronos then, Hyperion?" Phoebe retorted.

"No, I'm good," Hyperion muttered.

"Kronos Lite," Krios murmured and the Titans closest to him started laughing.

"We are not leaving my son to fade!" Rhea exclaimed.

"Why don't you go tell mother that?" Theia asked sarcastically and Rhea glared at her, opening her mouth to retort and the doors to the throne room opened. A Titan flew in quickly and bowed to the council.

"Son," Koios sighed, "We've told you this before, please refrain from using the throne room in your races."

"Firstly," Lelantos said, "My cousin isn't here to race against, and secondly, Zekrom sent word that one of the DireWolf scout groups locked onto the scent of a missing council member."

"Was it my son?" Rhea asked.

"No," Lelantos grinned happily. "It was Kronos."

There was silence for a few seconds, then Hyperion leapt off his throne yelling, "I'll get him!"

He rushed for the exit and only just managed to avoid a spear thrown at him.

"No," Krios glared at his brother. "I will." Hyperion narrowed his eyes and summoned his golden sword, quickly engaging into battle with the other Titan. Koios and the Titanesses carefully walked around the duelling duo and filled out of the throne room following Lelantos. Koios shut the double doors on the way out.

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_Two weeks after the last chapter_

"He's waking up, father."

Theron shifted slightly and opened his eyes to see a worried goddess hovering above him. He tried to get up, but she pushed him back down. "You're not getting up yet, Titan." She smirked.

"What happened?" Theron asked worriedly. "Gaia-"

"We stopped her." She said softly.

"What are doing? I thought you said you wouldn't help me."

"Would you prefer it if you had faded?"

"No. Thank you, Styx." Theron said quietly and the goddess nodded.

"Mother really did a number on you, nephew." Theron started in surprise and finally saw the Titan watching from the doorway. "You very nearly faded. If we had come a minute later then the council would be at war."

"Why are you here?" Theron asked harshly.

"A little appreciation would be nice," The Titan muttered, but Theron stubbornly shook his head. "Just like your father, too proud for your own good."

"How long-"

"Two weeks," Styx interrupted.

"I have to get back," Theron said and tried to get up. "The council will be trying to find me."

"No. You're not going anywhere until you can stand on two legs," Styx scowled and pushed him back down.

"Gaia almost killed you!" The Titan roared. "Do you know what that would have done? The world would be at war now, all because you couldn't stay out of other people's business."

"Hera is my sister!" Theron yelled.

"But she is not a Titan, you are. If you had faded there would be a war over who is the heir to the throne, the world will be a battleground! The gods won't stay out of it, oh no, they would back the Titan that they think would bend to their rule the most. Titan would be fighting Titan. The world could be torn apart! Do you understand now, nephew?"

"I understand," Theron muttered.

"Good. Now, until you can stand Styx will be looking after you. Once you are standing without help, I will see about giving you what you want."

"Why are you helping me, Oceanus?" Theron asked curiously. "You hate me."

"No, I don't. Yes, you can be an annoying pain in the _podex _most of the time, but you are the Prince. You also remind me of your father when he was younger." Oceanus smirked.

"So he was an annoying pain in the _podex_ too?"

"Oh yes, a very big one. There is a reason every being calls him the Crooked One." The elder Titan chuckled as he disappeared into sea water.

"So," Theron grinned at Styx. "When can I go?"

"When you can walk," Styx crossed her arms over her chest as Theron swung his legs off the bed. He stood up and would have fallen flat on his face if Styx hadn't stopped him.

"You're going to be here for a long time, cousin." Styx laughed as she helped him back onto the bed. "Do you know what Gaia did?"

"She trapped me."

"Well done," Styx said sarcastically, "But no. When immortals are trapped they lose their powers. That is why you have spent two weeks recovering. Your energy had to regenerate enough for it to support your body. If you had woken up sooner, you would have faded. If you had taken too long, you would have died."

Theron was realising the critical condition he was in and dry swallowed. "But Hera was trapped for longer than me and she is fine."

"Gaia wasn't actively draining her strength. Every time you touched the cage she drained some of your energy." Styx said and sat on the edge of the bed. "You are lucky to be alive and not faded." Theron was quiet as he lay back. "Get some sleep, Titan. You'll need it." Styx looked softly at Theron as he shut his eyes.

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**I will try to get some moments between Theron and Styx over the next few chapters, but I've never tried romance before so if it is absolutely crap then i apologise. **


	9. Train

**not a mortal: Sorry for not posting i had to do some stuff i hope your not done? / I am offended you would think i'm done! This story has many more chapters to go, don't worry.**

**I have my copy of Blood of Olympus, it is so good! If you haven't read it yet, shame on you!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson, or Heroes of Olympus. **

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**Chapter 9 - Train**

Theron spent two weeks in bed. Oceanus visited every day to check on his nephew and Styx kept Theron company as he lay in bed with nothing to do. Oceanus apparently had spies in Poseidon's Army that told him what was happening. Hera had made a plan to swap Jason Grace the son of Jupiter with Percy Jackson the son of Poseidon.

"You're thinking," Styx said as she came into the room.

"Is that bad?" Theron asked as he propped himself up using his elbow.

"No. It's just unusual with you." Styx snorted.

"Thanks," Theron smirked. "So can I go?"

"If you can stand I'll call my father here." Styx nodded. Theron grinned and quickly tried to stand. He groaned as he had a massive head rush and swayed slightly on his feet.

"See," Theron laughed. "I can stand."

"I should hope you could by now. I was starting to think you were faking being weak."

Theron grinned and bounced on the balls of his feet, almost falling over. "Can I go now?"

"No," Styx frowned, "Oceanus will be coming soon. He wishes to speak with you."

"What does he want?" Theron scowled. His uncles were known for trying to permanently maim him.

"I'm hurt, nephew," Oceanus flashed into the room. "I just want to speak with you."

"I'm pretty sure over half of the beings you have said that to are dead." Theron said.

"True," Oceanus nodded. "But I do just want to speak with you." He glanced at Styx and she flashed out of the room. "You see, nephew, you want something and I want something."

"What is it?" Theron sighed.

"Firstly, I'll give you what you want. Then once you are satisfied we can talk about the subject more."

Theron raised an eyebrow. "And what is it that I want?"

"Power," Oceanus stated. "You are annoyed at how easily Gaia caught you. You want to be stronger - I can help you with that."

Theron hesitated. "Sorry if I don't believe you, but my uncles are famed for trying to maim me."

"I'm not Hyperion." Oceanus frowned.

"No, but you are one of my uncles."

Oceanus sighed. "Do you want my help or not?"

Theron thought about how easily he had fallen into Gaia's trap, the little effort it took Porphyrion to beat him and made up his mind. "Yes, I want your help."

Oceanus grinned and Theron knew he was going to regret this. The elder Titan held his hand out and Theron took it, feeling his body change into sea water.

They reappeared in an arena. Theron knew they hadn't travelled far as he could see the surface of the river Styx far above them. There was a dome around the top of the arena and it blocked any of the water from the river Styx getting in.

"Get out your weapons," Oceanus ordered, Theron summoned StormWraith to his hand and Oceanus frowned when he saw the three points that marked it as a trident. "Summon your warglaives, nephew."

"But I am worse with this form of StormWraith." Theron protested.

"Then we'll get your skill with your warglaives even better." Oceanus growled.

"But that's stupid." Theron frowned then realised something and grinned. "You're scared of the trident, aren't you?"

"No," Oceanus said shortly.

Theron laughed as he saw a look in Oceanus' eyes. "You are! I can tell."

"Fine," Oceanus scowled. "Yes, I am. That is because I have been stabbed repeatedly by one for millennia."

"I'm sure Poseidon will be pleased to hear this," Theron grinned.

"You wouldn't," Oceanus growled.

"Why not?" Theron grinned slyly. "It's great blackmail material."

"You look far too alike to your brother, nephew," Oceanus sighed. "Combine that with the fact that you also carry around a trident."

"But I have golden eyes," Theron frowned.

"You are a mix between your father and Poseidon. Though I have to admit, Kronos was very annoying when he was younger. A lot like you, really."

"Thanks," Theron snorted.

"No problem," Oceanus chuckled. "Now, come on. Attack me."

Theron didn't even bother to double check that his uncle had a weapon on him, or that he was ready. He just formed his armour and swung StormWraith, trying to take Oceanus' head off. The Titan of Oceans ducked under the weapon and easily knocked Theron off his feet.

"Again," Oceanus ordered as Theron stood. The son of Kronos was more cautious this time and waited a minute before attacking. The result was the same.

Oceanus frowned as Theron circled him, this time being even more cautious and waiting for Oceanus to attack. Theron waited until he was behind Oceanus then leapt at him. The elder Titan sighed and sidestepped as he swung his arm up, grabbing StormWraith and pulling the hybrid weapon from his nephew's grasp. He then elbowed Theron in the stomach and twirled StormWraith around his wrist.

"What about your Titan Instincts?" Oceanus asked curiously.

"I don't use them."

"Never?" Oceanus said thoughtfully, "Why not?"

"I don't know how to control it." Theron said as he held his hand out for his weapon.

"Well," Oceanus handed Theron StormWraith. "You have to learn sometime. Use it."

"I don't-"

"Nephew, even Prometheus knows how to control it. You are a Titan on the council and don't know."

"No one ever taught me." Theron protested.

"I'm teaching you now. Do it." Oceanus ordered.

Theron scowled at his weapon before sighing and concentrating. He tried to activate the bloodlust that came naturally with being a Titan, but after a few seconds was knocked off his feet and thrown into the wall of the arena. He growled as he looked at Oceanus who was waiting for him to get back over there. The elder Titan looked bored as he watched with a smirk on his face. Theron's vision tinted with red. He rose to his feet, the rubble of the arena wall fall off him as he summoned StormWraith to his hand. Oceanus grinned triumphantly as Theron ran towards him, his eyes slightly red. Theron attacked relentlessly, his Titan Instincts like ADHD for a demigod. After ten minutes Oceanus eventually managed to get the upper hand and slipped inside his nephew's guard, kneeing his stomach and when Theron hunched over he slammed his fist onto his back. The younger Titan collapsed into the ground under the force of the Ocean Titan's punch. Theron groaned and spouted a few curses at Oceanus as he rolled over.

"Good," Oceanus grinned, "Now do it again."

Theron cursed repeatedly at his uncle. "Why do my uncles hate me? First it was Hyperion. Then the rest of you decided to have a go at beating up the nephew! Now Porphyrion has joined in too, I swear you must put up advertisements!"

Oceanus smirked down at his nephew. "Who has done the most to you?"

"Hyperion," Theron replied immediately. "Then you, then Porphyrion."

"Can't have that," Oceanus muttered, "Beaten by my younger brother. What about your father?"

"Kronos is on a whole different scale." Theron laughed. "He's actually managed to kill me before – repeatedly."

"Well," Oceanus was still slightly irked that Hyperion was beating him at anything. "Get up, we'll do it again."

Theron groaned as his abusive uncle nudged him with his armoured boot. "Get off me."

"No, get up," Oceanus snorted. "You've spent the last four weeks in bed. Some exercise couldn't hurt."

"Half of that was when I was unconscious." Theron argued.

"I don't care. Get up." Oceanus ordered, holding out a hand for him to take and Theron sighed before grabbing it. He pulled Oceanus down and sprung up to his feet.

"Thank you," He grinned, "Though you should really get up. I thought you wanted me to train?"

Oceanus muttered a few curses under his breath as he stood up and glared at the younger Titan. "Weapon out," Oceanus thought for a moment before he took out his sword. The silver serpent straightened out and changed into a sword. Theron gulped as Oceanus looked at him through narrowed eyes.

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**I am thinking about doing another story after this, so, a sequel or a prequel?**


	10. Prophecy

**Ariadne. :Thank you so much for writing this awesome story! :D / thank you so much for reading this (possibly awesome) story :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or Heroes of Olympus.**

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**Chapter 10 - Prophecy**

Oceanus spent the day torturing Theron. Apparently he had decided to try to beat Hyperion on Theron's scale, which led to the younger Titan being chased around the arena with a shouting Titan running after him. Theron was inwardly cursing his father's ability at annoying anyone and everyone as he ran from his uncle. Apparently Oceanus didn't like being mocked about how he is scared of tridents, who would have guessed?

Theron heard a soft laugh and stopped momentarily to see Styx watching from the seat of honour in the stands. She looked beautiful sitting in the place usually reversed for a King or Queen, her black hair hung down over her shoulders as she laughed. He was reminded of the pissed Titan that was chasing him when he sensed something flying towards him at high speed. Theron dived to the side and a silver sword passed harmlessly by his head.

"Father, I think the Prince has had enough today. He has just gotten out of bed." Styx said taking pity on her cousin and Theron was very thankful for the interruption.

Oceanus grumbled to himself, but nodded in agreement. "Very well, but he comes to see me here tomorrow as soon as he is ready."

"If you don't kill me, I will." Theron scowled.

"If you don't act like your father I won't kill you."

"It's not my fault!" Theron raised his hands in mock surrender, "It's natural!"

"Shut up, nephew," Oceanus growled and Theron quickly nodded. The Titan of Oceans was, usually, calm. Although like Poseidon, he was a formidable force when angry. Of course, it didn't help that Oceanus had a habit of finding fierce some sea creatures and turning them into pets for his own amusement. The first few times he had appeared in the throne room on the Kraken, he had almost given the entire council a heart attack.

Theron grinned and rapidly went over to Styx, hoping his uncle wasn't going to change his mind. Styx smiled at him, "You can thank me later."

Theron rolled his eyes. "So, what's next?"

"You are going to have a shower," Styx laughed, "Because you absolutely stink."

"Do you want to join me?" Theron grinned.

"Just go have a shower, Titan." Styx sighed. Theron chuckled and saluted to her before he turned into sea water and floated into his room.

Theron was in and out of the shower in less than five minutes. He quickly dried himself off and flashed on some clothes, completely aware that someone was waiting in his room for him.

"Are you stalking me or something?" Theron asked as he flashed himself into his room to see Styx sitting on the edge of his bed.

"No. I was waiting for you," Styx glared at him as he lay on the bed.

"Why here? You could have waited for me elsewhere." Theron grinned.

"Why are you so annoying?" Styx asked.

"It's an inherited thing," Theron chuckled. "Apparently Kronos was even more annoying than me."

"I feel sorry for my father then."

"Hey!" Theron frowned. "Think about my father! He has to deal with the Titans whining all the time."

"And I have had to deal with you whining the last four weeks." Styx argued.

"Firstly, I was unconscious for two weeks of that so I couldn't complain. Secondly, the Titan council will be going mad trying to find me by now." Theron grinned. "Thirdly, what's for dinner?"

Styx sighed. "Can't you just have Ambrosia or Nectar?"

"I could, but that gets boring after a while," Theron whined. "Plus, your father has been beating me around your arena for the last few hours. I think you could make it up to me."

"Does it have to be food? Could it be something else?" Styx asked.

"Like what?" Theron asked and supported himself using his elbow.

"Well," Styx smiled, "If you want we could talk to my father about you going back to Tartarus."

"No, it's alright. I like it here."

"Why the sudden change of heart?" Styx asked curiously.

"It is a nice change from having to act like the Prince all of the time. I also came to know someone properly." Theron grinned.

"And what do you think of them?"

Theron was surprised Styx hadn't stopped the conversation and begun to feel more confident. "I think they are very beautiful."

Styx froze and Theron inwardly cursed as she evaporated into water from the Styx. "Damn it!" He sighed and lay down, deciding to skip his evening meal.

In his dreams the Fates were arguing about something until Clotho sensed Theron's presence and cleared her throat. "Whatever the outcome of this war is does not change the far future. It changes the way to get there and you will face great hardships on either path."

Atropos looked down at Theron. "I give you one piece of information, use it wisely.

The roots will stand against an assault,

The beginning will start with a Titan's fault.

When three enemies fight on the ancient plain,

The two Parthenon's and the Olympians' bane.

The King and Prince will enter into a fight,

Only one will prevail with the strength of might."

"Great," Theron muttered, "Next time could you give me a hint that isn't a prophecy?"

"Be respectful, son of Kronos," Lachesis scowled, "you could find yourself serving us for longer."

"My apologies, Fates," Theron bowed deeply even though he was very tempted to curse them to Tartarus.

"We have warned you about the future, Titan. Take careful steps." Clotho said and everything went black for Theron.

For the next few weeks Styx ignored Theron. Oceanus knew something was happening between them, but didn't know what until the younger Titan approached him and asked for advice. The Ocean Titan's reply was, "Stay away from my daughter!" He then proceeded to blast Theron up to the roof of the dome surrounding the arena. Once the Prince had landed Oceanus chuckled and said, "Though I'm glad it's you and not Prometheus."

"Why Prometheus?" Theron asked curiously.

"I have known that the weasel has had his eye on her for a while." Oceanus frowned as he crouched down to look Theron in the eye. "I will not help you with your problem, figure it out yourself."

"But I have never had any experience with girls!" Theron exclaimed as he set a note to himself: Kill Prometheus.

"That's your problem, not mine." Oceanus laughed.

Theron sighed and resigned himself to having to find out how to talk to her himself. Eventually two months passed since Styx had begun ignoring Theron. In that time, the younger Titan had pushed himself into mastering StormWraith in its hybrid form. He was quickly able to control his Titan Instincts and activate them in every battle.

"When you can beat me," Oceanus said, "then, and only then, we can do what I wanted."

Theron nodded and readied his weapon as Oceanus summoned his sword. "Let us see if today you will finally beat me," Oceanus said. Theron carefully circled around and Oceanus started circling too. Theron circled for five minutes until he became tired with the constant movement. He charged at the older Titan, Oceanus chuckled and ducked under the stab, twisting around and hacking at Theron's back as he passed by. Theron blocked the attack with the shaft of StormWraith and turned to face his uncle, the two were locked in a battle of strength. Oceanus was about a foot taller than Theron so had the advantage of height and easily pushed back his nephew. Theron had two hands on StormWraith with one supporting the shaft the where Oceanus was pushing with his sword, he didn't want the weapon to snap. Oceanus put his other hand on the hilt of his sword and Theron was forced backwards, his feet making deep trenches in the earth as he skidded. Then Oceanus' eyes flickered to look over Theron's shoulder and the younger Titan understood what he was doing. Dozens of spikes made of ice were aimed at Theron's back. Theron acted quickly, twisting around and whacking Oceanus around the head with the spike of his weapon. The elder Titan was sent reeling away and Theron raised his hand, a wall of fire spread out from his palm and melted the spikes. A screen of mist obscured Oceanus' vision and Theron took the mist in stride, disappearing into it. Gradually the mist spread to cover the whole arena and Oceanus stood ready for anything. Theron was controlling the mist using his powers over water and air. He made it denser and thicker so it would be harder for Oceanus. He knew Oceanus would be able to sense anything around because of the water particles, but so would Theron. Oceanus started forward. He was able to sense Theron in the mist and quickly narrowed in on the younger Titan. What he saw made him stop in his tracks. Theron was in the middle of his own hurricane, made completely using the air and twisting it around. The mist in the air was swirling around him. Streams of Greek Fire flickered in the hurricane. As the hurricane swirled so did the mist and it began to mess up Oceanus' senses. With all of the water particles curling around him, he began to lose his sense of direction and couldn't tell exactly where his nephew was, though Oceanus could see him clearly. Theron's golden armour lit up like a flare in a dark, cloudy night.

"Stop the party tricks, nephew!" Oceanus bellowed over the roar of the wind as he struggled to get closer. "Fight like a Titan!"

The only warning Oceanus had was the hurricane slowed down a minuscule amount. Then the small storm imploded. Greek Fire raced through the air and mist covered everything in a blanket. Oceanus planted his back foot and raised his hands in front of him. The wave of mist approached him and when it was about the reach him, Oceanus jerked his hands to the side. The mist followed the movement, splitting in half in front of the Titan of Oceans like water towards a rock. It then built up behind him, slowly changing into water and waiting to crush any being beneath it. Oceanus ducked under the Greek Fire and thrust his hands towards Theron. The wall of water cascaded past Oceanus and towards Theron. The son of Kronos stamped his foot and earth rose around him, forming a protective shell.

After a few minutes of Theron holding up the shell around him and Oceanus controlling the water to try and break past the earth, Oceanus let the water go. Theron hesitantly lowered his shell and had to promptly duck then roll to the side as his uncle attacked. StormWraith parried Oceanus' next attack into the ground and Theron lunged forward, trying to punch the older Titan. Oceanus grabbed his fist and twisted it around. Theron winced and kicked out, hitting Oceanus in the chest. He took a short breather as he activated his Titan Instincts. Oceanus noted the slightly red eyes of his nephew and quickly activated his Instincts. The two Titans fought for two hours until Theron began to make opportunities for himself. He made the ground rocky and Oceanus nearly tripped over a rock that grew up beneath his feet. Theron made Oceanus' sword catch fire and the Titan dropped it in surprise. Theron waited for Oceanus to summon his weapon to hand until attacking as he wanted to beat him fairly. Theron darted towards Oceanus' aiming to stab his chest. The older Titan easily parried away the trident point, not getting his sword lodged between the three points. Theron twisted the end and whacked his uncle's sword hand, breaking his wrist. Oceanus cursed and dropped his sword. Theron quickly kicked it away and planted himself between the Titan and his weapon. He attacked cautiously – even though Oceanus had dropped his weapon, he was still a formidable opponent. Theron swung StormWraith at Oceanus' legs and the oldest Titan jumped over the three points. Then Theron was distracted, he heard a howl that came from Tartarus. Oceanus didn't seem to have heard it and noticed Theron was distracted. Theron felt a painful punch to his abdomen and was sent flying back as he tried to find out why he heard the howl. He soon realised it was one of the DireWolves currently searching Tartarus for the remaining Titans.

"Stop day-dreaming, nephew," Oceanus called. Theron grinned and charged at the unarmed Titan. Oceanus raised an eyebrow and parried away the weapon with one of his arms. He tried to punch Theron with his other hand, but the smaller Titan twisted out of the way and slid one of his legs along the floor trying to trip him up. Oceanus jumped up and Theron swung StormWraith around to hit his uncle in the side. Oceanus went flying across the arena and Theron followed quickly. As soon as Oceanus was standing Theron launched blow after blow, barely giving the older Titan enough time to defend himself. Eventually, Theron managed to swing StormWraith over his head and punched Oceanus at the same time. Oceanus successfully parried the two attacks, but missed the next one. Theron swung his foot and hooked it around Oceanus', the older Titan went sprawling and a trident was quickly resting above his chest.

"I yield," Oceanus conceded as he warily eyed the trident point. Theron grinned and poked his uncle with the three points for good measure before withdrawing and offering his hand out. Oceanus chuckled and grabbed Theron's hand.

"I can heal your wrist," Theron said as he placed StormWraith across his back.

"Its fine," Oceanus said as he retrieved his sword, "it will heal in water."

"So," Theron grinned, "What did you need my help for?"

Oceanus looked slightly sheepish and ran his hand through his black hair. "I may have lost one of my pets again."

Theron frowned, "For the last few months?"

"For an annoyingly big sea creature, he can disappear quite quickly."

"Which one is it - a sea serpent or a Leviathan?"

"The Kraken."

"How can you lose the Kraken?" Theron yelled in astonishment.

"It's quite easy, really. I've tracked him down to a certain place and need your help to get him under control." Oceanus chuckled. "I'm half inclined to leave him where he is. It's amusing, though the body count is starting to get too high."

"Where is he?" Theron asked resigning himself to having to tame the Kraken – again.

"At a certain camp for Greek demigods," Oceanus grinned, "it's fun watching them panic when another body washes up on the shore of the beach."

"I received a message from the DireWolves in our fight," Theron grinned and Oceanus raised an eyebrow. "They have found Kronos."

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**Next chapter: The Kraken**

**And the Fates have given their prophecy, what does it mean?**


	11. The Kraken

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or Heroes of Olympus.**

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**Chapter 11 - The Kraken**

Camp Half-Blood was visible to the mortals. Demigods were having difficulty fighting off the monsters as the mortals kept getting in the way. Zeus had begun an hourly pastime of stopping any helicopters or planes that got too close. Originally the King of the Gods had just diverted them, but he had quickly become annoyed and started blasting them out of the sky. The presence of Peleus stopped mortals from trying to get into Camp Half-Blood, but the mortals could see what was happening in the Camp. There were several hundred videos and pictures of the camp on the internet. Tourists had begun flocking to Long Island to see it themselves.

All of the campers were eating their lunch in the dining pavilion when the fire in the bronze brazier suddenly flared up. Chiron immediately drew his bow, the campers all took out their weapons and readied themselves for whatever it was. Slowly the fire shaped itself into a man that stood at around eleven feet, towering over the demigods. He stepped out of the fire and cracked his neck as he looked around at the demigods around him. He was wearing shining gold armour and a gold helmet covered his face. A black Scythe was emblazoned on the chest plate and the helmet was shaped like a drakon's head.

"Who are you?" Chiron asked as he aimed an arrow at the back of the stranger's head. Chiron had his suspicion about who he was and was prepared for a fight. The figure didn't answer and continued looking around at the demigods, Chiron released the arrow. In mid-air the arrow slowed down until it was at a standstill.

"I believe you already know who I am, Chiron," He laughed and the demigods from the Second Titan War flinched. He sounded like Kronos.

"I had my suspicions," Chiron nodded as he knocked another arrow.

"And your suspicions were correct," He stated.

"Theron," Chiron said.

"Yes, brother, it is I." Theron turned and took off his helmet as he plucked the arrow out of the air.

"What business do you have here?" Chiron asked cautiously.

"I believe that is none of your concern." Theron growled as he continued scanning the demigods, apparently looking for a certain one.

"Answer him!" A certain daughter of Athena shouted.

"Nice to see you too, Annabeth," Theron snorted, "how have you been recently?" He cocked his head to the side and took a small step towards her, immediately the demigods readied their weapons and Theron rolled his eyes.

"You nearly killed Percy," Annabeth scowled as she clutched her dagger.

"Exactly, I _nearly_ killed him. But I didn't," Theron grinned, "so you can't kill me. Not that you could, but you get the point."

"Why couldn't I kill you?" Annabeth asked in annoyance.

"Because I am a Titan, foolish demigod," Theron chuckled, "I can't be killed."

"You can fade," Chiron interrupted.

Theron winced. "Please don't mention the 'f' word. I've had far too many beings trying to force me to fade recently."

"Are you scared?" Annabeth mocked.

"Of the beings that are even now trying to make plans for me to fade? Definitely," Theron looked her in the eyes, "I have Lycaon lusting after my immortal blood, Porphyrion and my other giant uncles wishing they could stab me in the head with their various weapons, and my grandmother Gaia trying to force me under the ground." He glanced at his feet that were slowly sinking into the ground and quickly ripped them out before he was sucked in any more. "Now, I wish to speak with a demigod here. Luke Castellan, come forward."

There was movement amongst the demigods and several mutters, and then a familiar sandy blonde haired demigod walked to the front.

"Luke," Chiron warned, "Don't."

"I'm not going to harm him, brother," Theron scowled when he said brother and inspected the demigod standing in front of him, "I trust you remember what I gave you?"

"Yes." Luke said shortly.

"You don't like me very much, do you?" Theron asked curiously.

"Why should I? You ruined my life!" Luke yelled.

"That was my father, not me, Castellan," Theron scowled.

"I don't care. Both of you are Titans."

"You should care. I brought you back from the dead to give you another chance. I can easily take that chance away, son of Hermes." Theron threatened and StormWraith formed on his back.

"Try it," Luke growled and unsheathed his normal celestial bronze sword.

Theron grinned and chuckled. "You are lucky I am lenient compared to my uncles on the council. They wouldn't hesitate to tear you into pieces for your disrespect. Oceanus is usually one of the worst."

"I am flattered, nephew," A voice said dryly and the demigods turned to the new being in the dining pavilion. He wore dark sea blue armour than seemed to move like waves. "Stop terrorising the demigods, as amusing as it is, I want to be out of here soon."

"But uncle-"

"Suck it up."

"Come on, Oceanus!" Theron complained, "I haven't had fun in ages."

"Really?" Oceanus asked and Theron knew he had dug himself into a deep hole. "Then what about when you're with Styx?"

"That's different," Theron blushed golden.

"How different?" Oceanus asked mockingly.

"I-Oh, shut up. Let's just go." Theron strode in the direction of the beach and Oceanus vapour travelled so he was beside his nephew. Chiron quickly followed the two Titans and the demigods followed the ancient centaur.

"I am not going in the water, nephew!" Oceanus exclaimed. "Not here!"

"Come on, uncle, I'll protect you," Theron said mockingly and Oceanus sent him a withering glare.

"I can protect myself."

"I know." Theron held his hands up in surrender. "But I can't stop the Kraken with my brother getting in the way. I need you to go in the water."

"Why can't you?" Oceanus sighed.

"Because Poseidon won't come here to see me, whereas if he even sensed a small ripple of your power, he would come like a moth to a flame, uncle," Theron said.

"Damn you, nephew," Oceanus muttered. "Since when did you get so smart?"

"Since I stayed around the children of the goddess of wisdom," Theron scowled, "that reminds me, I still need to get my revenge on her for making Pallas fade."

"Are you still upset about that?"

"What do you mean? Of course I'm still upset, uncle. Pallas was my favourite cousin."

"I thought you would have been happy that he faded, it made my daughter available," Oceanus mocked.

Theron blushed golden and glared at his uncle, but the effect was lost on the older Titan who was chuckling at his nephew's golden face. Theron stopped where the surf of the sea didn't reach and turned to his uncle, his face still gold.

"Get in," Theron gestured to the ocean.

"No," Oceanus said as he crossed his arms.

"Fine," Theron grinned and stomped his foot, the earth lifted up under Oceanus and flung the Titan into the ocean. There was a dark blue flash when Oceanus hit the water and submerged. The oldest Titan came up a few minutes later. He had turned into a merman and Theron snickered when he saw the two bull horns protruding from his head.

"I will kill you, nephew," Oceanus roared.

Theron just laughed, "Join the queue then, uncle."

Oceanus' reply was to send a tsunami straight onto the beach. Theron raised his hand and stopped the water from coming any closer than the wet sand. The campers looked at the control displayed by the two Titans in awe. Theron then swiped his hand to the side and the wave collapsed in on itself. He felt a presence approaching and Oceanus obviously did too. The oldest Titan started retreating to the beach as quick as he could. Theron saw a tentacle come out of the water beside the Titan, almost hitting him. Theron glanced at the sky and concentrated, storm clouds quickly formed above him and lightning flickered. He pointed his hand towards the tentacle hovering around Oceanus and blasted it with a lightning bolt. A loud screech shook the air and the Kraken retreated long enough for Oceanus to dart out of the water, his features changing from being a merman into his 'mortal' form. He ran across the surface of the water, Theron providing cover by blasting any part of the Kraken that showed above the surface of the water with lightning. Oceanus skidded to a stop beside his nephew and the Kraken retreated back out to sea.

"What have you done to make him so mad with you?" Theron asked incredulously.

"I didn't do anything to him!" Oceanus exclaimed.

"For some I reason I find that hard…" Theron trailed off when he felt a presence approach. He made certain that StormWraith was on his back as Oceanus quickly straightened up and put on a perfect poker face. A blast of sea-green divine energy shot out of the water straight towards the two Titans, Theron quickly raised his hand and a blast erupted from his body, completely enveloping the smaller one. An angry sea god emerged from the sea, the three points of his trident glowing dangerously.

Theron did a double take when he saw his brother, "Neptune, I wish to speak to Poseidon." The Greek demigods gaped at the fact that this was the first ever Roman god they saw. Neptune's form flickered and Poseidon was in his place.

"Brother," Poseidon nodded to Theron then fixed his gaze onto Oceanus, "what are you doing here?" The sea god's knuckles were white as he gripped the trident.

Oceanus opened his mouth to speak, but Theron elbowed his uncle in the stomach and effectively shut him up before he spoke. "We are here to recover something that he has lost control of – again."

"Could you not have come alone?" Poseidon growled.

"No," Theron stated, "I needed his help to get your attention. I see it worked well."

"Why did you need to get my attention then?"

"So you wouldn't kill the Prince when he entered the water," Oceanus grinned.

"I wouldn't have anyway." Poseidon glared at the Titan of Oceans.

"I think you would have," Oceanus chuckled.

"No, I wouldn't," Poseidon growled.

"Uncle," Theron warned, "Shut up." Oceanus raised an eyebrow, but Theron was distracted when he sensed something approaching. The younger Titan quickly darted forwards, grabbing Poseidon's trident and pulling it and the god towards him as a tentacle smashed into the ground where he was a split second ago. Theron spun, taking StormWraith off his back and stabbed the tentacle, making it recoil. He then raised his left hand and a fire quickly rose, separating them from the sea.

"And this is why we needed to get your attention," Theron said seriously as he looked at the dozens of tentacles rising out of the water.

"Go on, nephew," Oceanus laughed, "do your part, I've done mine."

Theron sighed but put his helmet on and started towards the fire, Poseidon grabbed his arm. "You're going to do it alone?"

"I have done this hundreds of times before, brother. I'll be fine." Theron promised and Poseidon released the Titan. Theron saluted to Oceanus who rolled his eyes. The son of Kronos then walked straight into the fire and the sea beyond. The fire slowly died as he dived into the ocean and swam out to meet the Kraken.

"Shouldn't we help him?" Poseidon asked nervously.

"No," Oceanus said as he inched away from the sea god, "The Kraken won't listen to anyone else."

"But what if he dies?" Poseidon asked worriedly.

Oceanus sighed. "Look, Barnacle Beard, I want to see how easily he can do this. I have trained him for the last few months."

"This is a test." Poseidon stated.

"I didn't intentionally release the Kraken if that's what you're thinking," Oceanus ran a hand through his black hair. "And if he is going to be killed then I will help. Tartarus knows if Theron dies under my watch Kronos will send me to high Hades, and we live in Tartarus – it's a nine day fall from the surface!" They were interrupted when Theron flew through the air and landed on his back with a loud grunt.

"What have you been feeding him, uncle?" Theron groaned as he rolled to his feet.

"Sea creatures," Oceanus said as he glanced at Poseidon.

"And?" Theron knew there was something else.

"The remainders of Poseidon's Armies," Oceanus said smirking and Poseidon glared at the Titan.

"You feed my armies to the Kraken?" Poseidon asked aghast.

"He eats a lot!" Oceanus defended.

"It explains why he is so big," Theron sighed.

"If you can't stop him-" Oceanus started.

"No," Theron growled as his expression darkened, "I will not kill him."

"Brother," Poseidon said, "It will be pointless to tame it if you are killed."

"Would you kill Perseus or Triton?" Theron asked steely calm, but his golden eyes flashed dangerously.

"No, but-"

"Then what makes you think I would kill the Kraken?"

"They are my sons!" Poseidon exclaimed, "I would never kill my children."

"And neither shall I!" Theron roared and the ground rumbled beneath his feet.

"What?" Poseidon asked but Theron was already making his way back into the sea.

"Why do you think Theron became the Titan of Monsters?" Oceanus asked as he watched Theron swim out to meet the Kraken.

"You mean…" Poseidon trailed off.

"That is for you to ask," Oceanus chuckled, "I will not tell you."

There was a loud screech and Oceanus immediately looked out over the sea in time to see a massive splash that created a tsunami heading onto the beach. He raised his hands as did Poseidon and the two immortals of water stopped the wave in its tracks. They slowly let it back down into the sea and Oceanus tried to see what had happened. Theron was nowhere to be seen. He started cursing and dived into the ocean, ignoring the transformation to a merman. A current that he hadn't made propelled him along and he realised that Poseidon was helping him to get there faster. Oceanus dived under and saw that Theron was being forced under the water by dozens of tentacles that were coiling around him. As long as Theron could focus then he wouldn't drown. The Kraken struck out at Oceanus and he quickly dived further down to avoid the attack. Oceanus summoned his serpent-sword and quickly stabbed the nearest limb to him. The Kraken screeched and recoiled as the sound echoed around. Theron quickly burst into flames which was a risky move; it was harder to manipulate two elements at once. The Kraken's limb quickly unwrapped from around him and the son of Kronos controlled the currents of the sea to lift him and Oceanus out of the water. The Kraken surfaced under them and tried to swat them out of the air, but Oceanus raised a water wall that the monster couldn't get past. Theron started speaking to the Kraken and it stopped its attack briefly. Oceanus didn't understand a word he said as the younger Titan was speaking a language that only monsters spoke. After a few seconds the Kraken replied and Theron sighed in relief, the Kraken submerged and Oceanus saw it moving out to sea.

"What did you say?" Oceanus asked, Theron just grinned and released the water holding them up in the air. Oceanus let out a shout of surprise as he free fell towards his domain. Theron flew towards the beach and landed lightly on his feet. Oceanus walked out of the ocean and glared at his nephew.

"I told the Kraken that you would give him a command of his own," Theron said.

Oceanus' eyes widened. "Are you mad nephew? If I remember correctly all he ever wants to do is to destroy everything in his path!"

"Good," Theron glanced at Oceanus, "you need a being in your army that does that."

"You are sometimes too alike to your father that it is like you are his younger twin," Oceanus muttered in annoyance.

"Really?" Theron asked curiously.

"He annoyed the Tartarus out of us in his younger days," Oceanus nodded, "just like you, in fact."

Theron laughed and opened his mouth to speak, but winced slightly. Oceanus immediately narrowed his eyes at his nephew. "Armour off, now."

"What? Why?" Theron asked inching away from the older Titan.

"Because it is completely shredded by the Kraken's suction cups," Oceanus said crossing his arms. Theron looked down at his once immaculate golden armour and was startled to see that his uncle was right. The Kraken had completely ripped through some parts of the iron and Theron looked like he had gone ten rounds with an Elder Dragon. Theron was saved by a helicopter that stopped above them.

"Oh, gods," Chiron muttered, "not again."

"What?" Theron asked.

"Somehow the mortals can see everything. The mist has failed," Poseidon explained.

Theron looked at the ground sheepishly and ran a hand through his black hair, "Oops."

"Well, nephew," Oceanus frowned, "it seems the gods haven't acted accordingly to how you thought they would."

"I know," Theron scowled and looked towards Peleus and the Golden Fleece. "Since we are here, I may as well fix this up." He turned into a Gryphon and grabbed Oceanus in his claws, soaring over the crowd of demigods and towards the mortal news-reporters that were currently trying to get past Peleus.

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**The mortals are in trouble... two Titans on their way to say hello to them.**

**Next chapter: On The News**


	12. On The News

**not a mortal: Sorry for no review i have,alot of stuff going at school this story is still beast will iapetus have his memory took / It's fine :) and yes, Iapetus' memory was taken by Percy during the war with Kronos.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or Heroes of Olympus.**

* * *

**On The News**

As Theron flew Oceanus checked that his helmet was still on. Theron flew straight over the mortals, dropping his uncle just outside the borders to camp. Oceanus manipulated the moisture in the air so he wouldn't break his legs when he landed. The mortals screamed as Theron flew right over their heads and circled around to land beside his uncle lightly on two feet after morphing back into his 'mortal' form. The mortals looked at him in fear until one gathered enough courage to step towards him.

"Can you tell us who you are?" The mortal asked and shoved something at his face.

"I can," Theron nodded deciding to annoy them.

"Will you tell us?"

"Yes, I will," Theron smiled slightly behind his helmet.

"Who are you then?" The mortal asked.

"My name is Theron," Theron grinned.

"Theron-"

"But you can't call me that," Theron interrupted.

"What should I call you then?"

"Call me Prince or Lord Theron."

"Are you royalty?" The mortal asked curiously. "And why are you wearing a costume that looks like it should be on display at The Metropolitan Museum of Art?"

"Yes, I am royalty, of a sort," Theron muttered, "And, mortal, this 'costume' as you call it is my armour."

"Your armour?" The mortal asked incredulously. "And why did you call me 'mortal'?"

"I called you mortal because that is what you are." Theron crossed his arms over his chest.

"And you are not mortal then?" The mortal asked in disbelief.

"Correct." Theron chuckled. "To everyone around the world currently watching this, all of you are mortals and all of you have no clue how fragile you and all life are."

"You sound like you know what is happening worldwide, would you care to tell us?"

At that moment Chiron and the demigods came up over the hill and immediately the mortals started taking pictures of the centaur. Theron sighed through his nose and flicked his wrist. All of the cameras were flung into the air but the news reporters' ones stayed where they were. The mortals were immediately silent.

"I am going to need payment after this, Zeus!" Theron yelled at the sky and received thunder which let him know that Zeus and the Olympians were currently watching.

The demigods looked nervously at the sky as the mortals raised their eyebrows. "Excuse me, but did you just say Zeus?" The mortal asked and Theron nodded sharply in reply. "He does not exist. He is a myth."

Thunder rumbled above them and a single cloud formed above them. "You should be careful mortal, for there are many beings you are not aware of that do exist. I, for one," Theron grinned.

"So, Theron, you believe in the Greek gods then?"

"Do not call me Theron mortal, you are not worthy to speak my name." Theron growled.

"Why do you think that?" The mortal marched up to him and stood face to face with the Titan Prince. "Everyone is equal here, are we not?"

Theron's face darkened and he growled quietly, Oceanus winced knowing that the mortal had gone over the line. "You truly believe that we are equal?"

"Yes!" The mortal shouted, "There are no such things as immortals! The Greek Myths are nothing more than myths, and you deserve to live in a padded cell!"

Theron grew in size and StormWraith shimmered into existence on his back. "I am far above you, mortal! You are an ant under my feet! I have half a mind to let the monsters run free and kill every single last one of you!" The mortal backed away and fell over. "You are lucky that I favour you, mortals. I believed that you would want to know what was happening around you and why there was a… Typhoon through New York, but obviously I was mistaken. Perhaps you wish to go back your deluded safe little bubbles."

"What are you?" A mortal stammered in fear and shock.

"My name is Theron, mortals!" Theron roared. "Know that the Greek gods _are_ real and are currently listening to this, aren't you Zeus?" The sky rumbled in agreement. "The monsters currently running around are from Greek 'myths' as you call them."

"You didn't answer his question, nephew," Oceanus said dryly.

"Shut up," Theron said without turning around to face his uncle. "So, as I was saying, the gods are real and massive pains in the _podex_." Thunder rumbled dangerously above them and lightning flashed. "Oh, put a sock in it, Zeus!" Theron roared.

"Are you a god then?" One of the mortals asked nervously.

"No," Theron grinned as he shrunk. "I am older than them, and more powerful."

The mortals' eyes widened in fear and some of them hurriedly bowed.

"See that, uncle? A lot more respectful than the demigods, aren't they?" Theron looked at Oceanus who rolled his eyes behind his helmet. "Answer me, mortals, what came before the gods in Greek mythology?"

Most of them shook their heads in bewilderment but one of them put his hand up like he was in a school. "Wasn't it the Titans, Lord Theron?"

"Correct!" Theron grinned widely and reached up to take his helmet off, revealing his black almost curly hair and sharp golden eyes. "I am Theron, the only Prince of Othrys and Titan of Elements, Monsters, and Hunting. I was the Ruler of the Underworld before Hades. I'll let you find out who my father is." He then turned to Oceanus who took his own helmet off. "This is my favourite uncle at the moment, Oceanus, the Titan of Oceans." He turned to the demigods watching. "Is Poseidon still here? I believe the mortals would want to see a god." There was movement until Poseidon walked forwards from where he was standing near the back of the demigods.

"I'd rather not do this, Prince," Poseidon said Theron's title with a slight mocking edge to his voice. "I have to go back to Atlantis now that I know you two aren't here to cause any problems."

"I don't care what you would rather do, and if you call me Prince like that again I won't hesitate to give you a Princely three-pointed stab up your _podex_."

Poseidon raised his hands up in surrender and suppressed a grin. "Why are you in a bad mood today?"

"I was told that my son was causing problems here, and now I have to clear up your pantheon's mess with the mortals. Why do you think I'm in a bad mood?" Theron growled.

"If I remember correctly, you are the one that let the entire mortal race see clearly and called it a 'gift'."

"It was a gift!" Theron exclaimed.

"I've only seen you this unhappy in the First Titanomachy." Poseidon said with a raised eyebrow.

"Why do you think that was, Poseidon?" Theron asked sarcastically.

"Maybe because the new race of immortals decided they would be better rulers than us and rebelled?" Oceanus said dryly.

"Father ate us!" Poseidon defended. "I am sure that if he hadn't done that then we wouldn't have risen up."

"Well," Theron muttered, "You're correct about that. I'm living proof of that."

"You're the lucky one," Poseidon grumbled, "Not being eaten by father. Why did that happen exactly?"

"Theron is lucky he was born before Ouranos was chopped into millions of tiny pieces," Oceanus smiled faintly. "If Kronos and Rhea had decided to have sex any later then Hades and Hestia would have joined him in my brother's stomach."

"It was fun making fun of father for having a fat stomach." Theron laughed.

"Until he tried to kill you with his Scythe," Oceanus said as he remembered visiting Othrys one time to see Theron run past him with an angry King of Othrys chasing him.

Theron shrugged. "I've learned to run fast enough to escape him, of course it doesn't help that he eats a lot. Maybe I should tell him that next time I see him?"

"When you do please warn me so I can get on the other side of the universe before he explodes," Oceanus replied.

"Excuse me, Lords?" A mortal asked nervously and when the three deities looked at him expectantly, the mortal promptly fainted.

"That's new," Theron muttered, "I've had mortals throwing themselves at my feet before, but never fainting at them."

"Demigods have a lot more willpower than mortals, nephew," Oceanus sighed. "We should be going now. I look forward to meeting you in battle again, Barnacle Beard."

"I wish I could say the same," Poseidon said sarcastically. "Last time we fought you almost destroyed my entire palace. The game room alone took six-hundred years to remodel then you go and destroy it!"

"You left it unguarded!" Oceanus defended himself, "Though I liked the whack-a-sky-god game."

Poseidon laughed. "It was the favourite game I had."

"We have to go, Poseidon," Oceanus said seriously as he glanced at Theron who winced slightly as he moved. "My nephew hurt himself in the fight against the Kraken and if he goes back to Othrys damaged in any way then Kronos will have my head on a spear."

"Oh, come on, uncle. Can't we stay here a little longer?" Theron whined.

"No," Oceanus growled and grabbed his nephew's shoulder, turning them both into sea water which evaporated.

"Well," Poseidon said, "I should be going before Zeus finds out I have disobeyed his orders." The sea god then also turned into sea water and was gone.

"Mortals," Chiron said after he cleared his throat, "I believe you have your answer. I suggest you leave before we attract anymore unwanted guests, I believe Kronos would probably be next if you stay." Apparently the mention of the Titan King that had eaten his own children terrified the mortals beyond belief. They all turned and ran down the hill screaming like children to the vans that were waiting.

* * *

**A little bonding between Theron and Poseidon in this chapter, and Oceanus meets Poseidon for once without fighting him.**

**Next chapter - Lock The Door**


	13. Lock The Door

**not a mortal: Does therons children have more power than percy? / Theron at full strength is as strong as two of the Big Three since he is a Titan and the eldest child of Kronos and Rhea. I have found that in Greek Mythology the eldest siblings are usually the strongest. But, Theron's children are around a strong as Percy. The older Theron's children are the stronger they get. He lets them choose which of his powers they want to be the strongest (the same strength as Percy with water), their other abilities are a lot weaker than that.**

* * *

**Chapter 13 - Lock The Door**

"Easy, nephew," Oceanus muttered as he lowered Theron onto the bed that he had spent far too much time in recently.

"Go away, I can handle it myself," Theron growled but winced in pain.

"Chest plate off," Oceanus ordered. Theron obediently took of his armour (or what was left of it). The golden top he wore under it was torn completely to shreds and fell onto the floor as soon as the metal was taken off, leaving him topless.

"How does it look?" Theron asked and his voice was smothered by the pillow.

"Do you want the lie or the truth?" Oceanus asked after a few seconds.

"Truth," Theron said shortly.

"It looks like octopuses have tried to strangle you to death," Oceanus replied.

"The Kraken – my son – is an octopus, uncle."

"I know," Oceanus muttered. "Turn over." Theron did so and had to opportunity to see how bad the injury was. There was a line going from his right shoulder to his left hip which then curled around his back to his right armpit and looped around his neck.

"It looks like a mortal has tried to climb up me with suction cups," Theron commented. Oceanus paused inspecting the injury long enough to give his nephew a glare that said 'shut up'.

"Sorry," Theron apologised, "But you have to admit it does look like that."

"I'm half tempted to leave you here to heal yourself, Prince," Oceanus said in annoyance.

"If you did that my father would kick your _podex_ to Olympus and back." Theron grinned and watched as Oceanus began to try to fix up his injury. It was universally known around Othrys that the Titans were fighters and not healers. They had half-bloods in their army that served as healers.

Luckily, Theron was saved by Styx entering the room. At seeing the two Titans in the room the goddess promptly pointed at the door. "Out, Father, you will make the wound worse."

"Is that a bad thing?" Oceanus asked smiling slightly.

"It is if you want him to live," Styx said sharply, "Now, I need some freshwater and bandages."

"What about nectar?" Oceanus asked as he waved his hand, causing the sink in the room burst. The water floated through the air and into the bucket in the room.

"I have some in this room somewhere," Theron said starting to rise, but Styx quickly stopped him.

"Oceanus, out," Styx said sharply and the oldest Titan quickly retreated, giving Theron a quick wink as he smirked.

"So," Theron grinned, "how does this work?"

"Firstly, what were you attacked by?" Styx asked as she began to clean the golden ichor off of his chest.

"The Kraken."

"Let me guess. Oceanus took you to calm him down again?"

"Yes. Your father needs to learn how to stop his sea creatures from rampaging around and snatching demigods off of beaches." Theron said warily as he tried to ignore the sting of his wound. "I am going to retire from the business of monster taming soon."

"I'm sure Oceanus and your other uncles will be pleased to hear that. I, for one will. As it means you won't be injured as often."

"Thank you for your concern," Theron said sarcastically. "But seriously, all jokes aside, why have you been ignoring me?"

Styx looked up at him and gestured for him to turn over. "Turn onto your front." Theron obediently did so and waited for her answer. "It was unexpected."

"What was?" He asked curiously wanting to turn round to look at her.

"What you said."

"What did I say? It was months ago, I can't remember," Theron tried to turn around but Styx gently placed a soft hand on his back and kept him still. Her hand left a warm trail across his back.

"If you turn around I can't clean you of ichor, Titan," Styx scolded lightly, "and you know full well what you said."

"Fine, yes, I remember," Theron said and turned his head so his voice wasn't muffled by the pillow.

"I was surprised," Styx said and Theron felt her trickle nectar over his back.

"Why? You are beautiful," Theron seriously hoped he wasn't blushing gold. "I was telling the truth."

"Thank you, Prince," Styx said, and unlike most people (Hyperion, Lycaon, Giants) Styx didn't say his title in a mocking way. "Turn again."

Theron did so eagerly, wincing slightly as his back rubbed against the sheets of the bed. He found himself staring at Styx as she gently rubbed nectar over his front. She was beautiful; there was no other way to say it. Theron gazed at her eyes while she worked - a dark blue that was almost black, the same colour as the river Styx. Her black hair hung down over her face as she tried to not press down too hard and cause him pain.

Eventually, Styx straightened up and her eyes met Theron's. She blushed slightly but didn't look away. "Unless you want to rub off the new skin you are going to need a bandage around your torso. So stand up."

Theron swung his legs off the side of the bed and stood up, his back cracked loudly as he stretched. Styx grabbed the bandage and wrapped it around him with practised ease. Theron touched the white cloth and looked up at Styx gratefully, noticing how she didn't step back.

"Thank you, Styx." He bowed his head slightly.

"No need to thank me, knowing you you'll be back here soon enough."

"Do I owe you anything?" Theron asked slyly.

"Yes, twenty drachmas," Styx said sarcastically.

"I don't have any drachmas," Theron said seriously. "But I can do something else for you."

"What would that be?" Styx asked catching onto what he was talking about.

"This," Theron said then leaned his head down so he could reach her. He gently pulled her towards him and tilted her head up before locking her lips with his own. For a moment Styx didn't do anything, but then she acted. He swiftly deepened the kiss and Styx responded eagerly, running her hands across his toned abdomen. Theron smiled against her and pulled them backwards to fall onto the bed, still kissing her furiously. Wherever Styx touched him he felt like sparks were trailing across his body. Finally, Theron pulled back to get some air and rested his head against the pillow as he looked at her. Styx was flushed as she looked down at him. Theron then grinned and rolled over, trailing kisses down her forehead to the corner of her mouth and leaning back to see her reaction. Styx pulled him down towards her again, and as their mouths moved in sync, Theron felt completely content for the first time in millennia.

"Daughter, do you need any he-" Oceanus stopped in the doorway and looked at them with wide eyes. "Lock the door next time you do this, please. I'd rather not see it again."

Styx blushed and Theron quickly pulled back, running a hand through his black hair. Oceanus gave Theron a look that said, '_You hurt her and I'll hunt you down for the rest of your immortal life.'_ Theron quickly nodded and the oldest Titan left the room, firmly shutting the door behind him. Theron leapt up off the bed and lunged towards the door, sliding the lock shut. He could hear Oceanus chuckling and he walked away. Theron grinned and turned back to Styx. He quickly joined her on the bed and kissed her softly on the lips.

"Does this mean we are going out now?" He asked curiously.

Styx raised her eyebrows at him. "If not then we can forget this."

"I'll take that as a yes," Theron chuckled, "I don't think my father will be too pleased to hear this."

"Who cares?" Styx asked smiling.

"I don't, he can stuff his complaints up his _podex_." Theron grinned and kissed her again.

* * *

**This is my first ever romantic scene so please give me feedback... good/bad/terrible i don't care, just please tell me if it was good or not.**

**Next Chapter: Sky Bearer**


	14. Sky Bearer

**not a mortal: Nice chapter but isnt typhon father of monsters and / Typhon is the youngest child of Gaia and Tartarus and he was born after the First Olympian War. The gods and Titans must of used monsters during the war, right? In my story Theron created them. Typhon and Enchidna are the parents of some the more unique monsters. Theron created the rest of the monsters in Greek Mythology.**

* * *

**Chapter 14 - Sky Bearer**

"Be safe, Prince," Styx said as Theron carefully pulled his top on over the bandage covering his torso. The wound had rapidly healed over the last week, despite Theron not doing anything any differently and Oceanus constantly insisting that they need to train for at least five hours per day.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Theron grinned as he finished getting dressed.

"You have to visit me, it gets lonely at times." Styx said softly as she leaned against the doorframe.

Theron looked at her incredulously. "You think I wouldn't visit, my Lady? I love you. I won't be gone for long. I swear I'll visit whenever I can."

Styx nodded, apparently satisfied. "Good. You have to take care of yourself. Whilst I don't mind you coming here, I'd rather not see you injured again."

"We all know that's not going to happen, I'm a magnet for disaster." Theron moved closer to her. "And I'll find a way around my father knowing, don't worry." He softly kissed her forehead.

"Your father knows more than you realise," Styx warned.

"I know. But, what he doesn't know won't hurt him," Theron pulled Styx towards him. "I think your father can wait a few minutes, can he not?"

"I'm sure a few minutes won't kill him," Styx smiled. Theron grinned and pulled her onto the bed, quickly leaning towards her and starting the kiss.

"Or a few hours," He muttered against her.

The door burst open and Oceanus stalked in, Styx sat up and Theron quickly let his head drop onto the bed.

"Yes, uncle, what do you need?" Theron asked innocently.

"I thought you wanted to go to Mount Tamalpais to free Atlas before you go back. And please lock the door if you are going to do that. This was almost the fiftieth time I've done this." Oceanus sighed.

"Sorry, uncle," Theron muttered sheepishly.

"Now, if you are ready then we can go." Oceanus frowned at Theron who quickly jumped off the bed.

"I'm ready," Theron nodded and quickly gave Styx a quick kiss on the lips, "Let's go."

Oceanus disappeared into sea water and Theron turned back to Styx, clearing his throat. "Go, Titan," Styx laughed, "You don't want to make him angry." Theron muttered a few words under his breath and reluctantly nodded, turning into a fiery tornado.

"It's about time you got here, nephew," Oceanus said.

"Shut up, uncle," Theron growled and started walking straight through the centre of the Garden of the Hesperides. The two Titans walked straight up the middle towards Ladon who snarled as they approached. Theron held his right hand out as they neared the one-hundred headed dragon. Ten of Ladon's heads swivelled around and hovered above them, his breath smelled like acid and the heavy stench of Eucalyptus leaves covered the garden. Oceanus stopped a few feet back as Theron continued walking confidently until he was a few feet from the massive copper coloured dragon. Ladon took a deep breath and Theron knew he smelt them. The dragon then blinked and laid his heads on the floor around the Titan of Monsters.

"Yes, it's nice to see you again, my boy," Theron grinned as he rubbed the nearest head. "How have you been recently?" Ladon breathed out and flattened the grass in the area. "I haven't seen you in decades," Theron continued and leaned against one of the dragon's heads. "I trust the Hesperides have been good to you, son."

"I still get confused over how you managed to create so many unique monsters, nephew," Oceanus said as he approached now that Ladon knew who they were.

"My imagination is good," Theron grinned and held his left hand up, golden mist formed images of a new creature that he had been thinking about. "But not all of my creations were successful." He closed his hand into a fist and the mist dispersed. "I think Ladon was one of my more successful ones, along with the Kraken."

"You seem to like creatures with more limbs than the norm." Oceanus commented.

Theron shrugged and continued moving through the Garden of the Hesperides. "Are you coming?"

Oceanus sighed as the Hesperides shimmered into existence in front of them. "Hello, ladies."

"What can we do for you, Oceanus and Theron?"

"We need to get to your father. It is time that he is released from his burden." Theron said looked at them.

"Of course, my Lords, though, if you need anything else you are welcome to ask." Aegle said and Theron nodded in acknowledgment. The Hesperides moved out of the way for the two Titans who continued up to the top of the mountain.

"Keep your eyes off her," Oceanus grumbled as Theron winked at Aegle. "You are supposed to be courting my daughter, not her."

"Sorry, old habits die hard."

"I'll tell Styx what you did for your first week alive," Oceanus threatened.

"You would not dare," Theron paled in panic. For his first week he had never left his father's side and attached himself to Kronos' left leg for hours on end. He had later taken to using the Titan King's brand new Scythe that was a gift from Gaea as something to bite when bored. If you looked closely enough at Kronos' Scythe the tooth marks were still visible, despite his various attempts at taking the marks off of the weapon's shaft.

"I will tell her everything that I know about you. From the amount of crushes you have had to the amount of times Kronos has killed you." Oceanus chuckled at Theron's pale face.

"Remind me never to get you angry with me." Theron muttered and Oceanus smirked.

"Are you sure about that, nephew? You used to annoy me a lot to get me angry with you, what changed?"

"Nothing," Theron grinned, "it is just that sometimes I forget that you are the oldest child and therefore the strongest."

"Your father is the strongest, Theron," Oceanus corrected, "if only because we made him the King once Ouranos was killed."

"I still remember that day," Theron mused, "seems like a trillion years ago now." He looked up at the sun which was slowly descending behind the horizon.

"That it does. Our fall changed everything for us, one moment we ruled over every moving being. The next we were cast into Tartarus for being what we are." Oceanus said and he looked over the horizon like he was remembering what Gaea used to look like. "But those times have gone now. Most of us roam the earth trying to stay away from the gods. Others like me and your father have tried to actively take back our thrones. You know how well that turned out last time." Oceanus looked at Theron with a raised eyebrow.

"It was my fault that father lost the last war. The Fates told me what would happen in the future. They said I had a choice. I could turn against the Titans and help the gods, knowing that the gods would need our help in this war. Or, I could let us win."

"You chose the first option, why?"

"Because the second would have caused the end of the gods and us, we would have been too proud to let the gods out of Tartarus and would perish against Gaea. I chose what I thought was best for us." Theron said quietly.

"We can try again to take back our thrones. The gods will always be weary of us until we sit in our rightful places. That is what you made possible, nephew." Oceanus said as they walked over the crest of the hill. Theron stopped in shock.

"It this even possible?" He asked warily as he looked at what was in front of them.

"I knew you getting the Titans together again would eventually have an effect, but not this quickly," Oceanus said in awe.

There, in front of them, Othrys was almost completely rebuilt. Theron laughed as he looked at the black city hovering in the sky above them. Othrys was made of black marble, bronze and gold. Not unlike Hades' Palace in the Underworld. Greek Fire torches lit up the streets, illuminating the few beings wandering around even at night. Temples to the various Titans shone brightly, Theron saw Kronos' Temple that was a shining gold, Rhea's that was placed next to Kronos' and was seemingly made of emerald that reflected the sunset. Then he looked at another temple, made of black marble, gold and emerald. His own temple made by the Elder Cyclops before Kronos sent them to Tartarus. At the top of the structure in the sky, proudly stood the Throne Room or Hall of the Titans, depending on what it was used for. Some days it would be the Hall of the Titans and others the Throne Room. There were huge double doors, big enough to allow a Primordial entry. Before the Titans took over, Ouranos ruled over the city. It used to be called Ouranu, and then the titans changed it to Othrys when they took over. Theron was surprised that no mortals had seen this yet, but quickly remembered that it was only visible from almost directly beneath it. He honestly doubted any mortals had come to Mount Tamalpais because the sky seemed to be a solid sheet meeting the tip of the mountain. Theron grinned happily at Oceanus who rolled his eyes but also seemed incredibly happy.

"It is mocking me." Another voice said and Theron smirked at his cousin. "What is it that I heard about you betraying us again, cousin?" Atlas asked mockingly.

"I can just leave you there, Atlas," Theron scowled, "and we can forget that I was ever here."

"But you won't, will you? I know you too well, Theron." Atlas laughed. The son of Kronos grinned before walking over to Atlas.

"Do not tell me you did not think about how you were going to get him out from under there, nephew," Oceanus sighed.

Theron shrugged. "I was a bit busy."

"More than a bit, Theron," Oceanus smirked.

"Shut up," Theron scowled and a slight golden blush ruined the intimidation. "The presence of our uncles used to hold up the sky," Theron said thoughtfully, "Hyperion, Iapetus, Krios and Koios. All of them are currently alive, with the exception of Iapetus not knowing who he is. If we…" He then looked at Oceanus. "I believe it is time you take a visit to Iapetus."

Oceanus smiled slightly and flashed out, going to the Underworld. Theron knew it was a risky move, as if Hades found Oceanus in the Underworld chances were he would inform Zeus and then the gods would bother to check up on the Titans. The gods would find Othrys in full swung and the army being trained to its old potential.

"You did betray us again, didn't you?" Atlas asked warily.

Theron gritted his teeth and nodded. "You know I do not exactly have a choice."

"Everyone has a choice, cousin."

"My choice was obey the Fates and keep Othrys standing, or to disobey them. If I had done the latter they would have made Kronos fade and Othrys would fall." Theron said, "I think I know which one I would rather choose any day."

"I don't know if you are just saying that or not."

"Othrys survived to rise again," Theron said gesturing up at the city above them. "Though, I am annoyed at you, Atlas. You knew who I was all along, didn't you? When I was Seth, on the quest to rescue Artemis, you let me live to go back to the other quest members."

"Admittedly, it was a surprise as I hadn't exactly been told what was happening. Though even the way you held yourself was similar, you had forgotten who you were, but you still acted the same." Atlas looked at Theron as he continued holding the sky. "You are hard to miss, cousin."

"Kronos played me when I was Seth. He played me straight into his hand and I didn't realise until it was too late." Theron said, "Yes, it wouldn't have changed the outcome whether or not I, as Seth, had sworn myself to the Titans during the war. Once I remembered who I was the same thing would happened."

"It is not your fault, you were a mortal," Atlas tried to comfort Theron. "They are weak-minded, easily bought-"

"And Violent," Theron finished, "I know. It used to be so much easier, before the gods. Now we are reduced to this," He gestured to Atlas.

"Thank you for that, cousin," The Titan General said dryly, "I really needed you to remind me that I am stuck carrying this thing." Theron shrugged and grinned. A figure formed out of sea water beside them and Oceanus was quickly visible. He was limping, avoiding using his right leg.

"I told Iapetus, he wasn't very happy that we left him in Hades for about a year," Oceanus sighed, "If you just let go, then it should be fine."

Theron laughed and looked at the wound on Oceanus' right leg that looked suspiciously like a spear point. "He stabbed you, didn't he?"

"Do you really need to ask that, nephew?" Oceanus scowled, "Of course he stabbed me! He's isn't called 'The Piercer' for nothing."

"No, but he is called Bob for something," Theron said trying to keep a straight face.

"We are going to give him Chaos for what happened to him!" Oceanus laughed, "He won't be able to live it down. A Titan being beaten by a demigod in his own domain, and losing his memory!"

"I am sure Iapetus will not go around stabbing all of you then, uncle," Theron said sarcastically, "I might get Krios to make me some of that armour he invented just before the gods rose up, that way when all of you are being stabbed by Iapetus I can watch from the side-lines and laugh."

Oceanus rolled his eyes, "Iapetus won't do that, he is too soft. For being the Titan of Violent Death, he is not very violent or deathly."

"Hello?" Atlas called, "Being crushed over here!"

"Just step out from under there. Now that Iapetus has remembered who he is all of the Titans that control the four corners are awake," Oceanus explained, "Of course, if you can't walk then there may be a problem."

"I'm pretty sure it's you that can't walk at the moment, uncle." Theron snickered. Oceanus glared at the son of Kronos who quickly shut up. Atlas strained against the sky as he struggled to stand, slowly but steadily Atlas stood to his full height of nearly eleven feet and then quickly dived forward. Oceanus watched warily as the sky fell like a stone, they were taking a risk as there was a chance that the sky would have had to be held up forever after being disconnected from the four Titans of the cardinal points. All three Titans were relieved when the sky suddenly stopped its descent six feet from the surface of the Earth.

"That went well," Theron grinned, "luckily the sky apparently remembers the four Titans that used to stop it from touching Gaea."

Atlas groaned as he stretched and his back cracked, Theron raised an eyebrow and said, "Would you like a hot pad, General, or maybe some Tylenol?"

"Shut up," Atlas groaned, "that happened around three years ago."

"I know. The only difference is that there is not a goddess holding the sky for you." Theron said sarcastically.

Atlas immediately perked up. "Do you think-"

"No, you are not going to capture Artemis again." Theron shifted slightly, "You do know what is happening, correct?"

"Something is stirring, though I know not what. No one has come to tell me anything."

"Well… Uncle, do you want to take this one?" Theron asked.

"Gaea is rising," Oceanus said bluntly.

"Great, so when do we attack Olympus?" Atlas grinned.

"Never - we are fighting Gaea," Theron said, "At least down in Tartarus. The war between us has not yet reached the mortal world."

"We are helping the gods?" Atlas sounded shocked and he looked upset that he wouldn't be able to have his revenge on Artemis.

"Yes, so that means you are not allowed to force any god or goddess under the Sky. It would not be very good for our already strained relations."

"Are you serious? What happened to my cousin that would do anything to take down the gods?"

"He is still here. I plan on knocking the Olympians down a couple of pegs, but I have changed." Theron shrugged, "Othrys and Olympus working together. Think about it - two incredibly powerful pantheons usually at each other's throats. If we could work together…"

"It will take centuries to even get to the stage where we do not attack each other at first sight," Oceanus warned.

"It will be worth it," Theron said determinedly.

"I sometimes wonder what goes on in that head of yours, nephew," Oceanus sighed as he walked to the each of the mountain and summoned some water up from the sea.

"Nothing," Theron grinned, "absolutely nothing."

"That explains why you do… certain things." Oceanus' wound quickly healed up as the water flowed up his leg and he turned back to face the two younger Titans, "I believe you know what we are doing now?" Theron tried to supress his grin as he and Atlas nodded.

"It's time to go back to Othrys," Theron stated as he summoned StormWraith onto his back.

"That it is, nephew," Oceanus smiled slyly, "let us go see how much of our army your foolish father has destroyed in your absence, shall we?"

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**Next Chapter - Return To Othrys**

**I am starting a reading The Crooked One's Rise story, the first chapter will be up sometime in the weekend.**

**Review! They make me know that someone is reading this story.**


	15. Return To Othrys

**I do not own Percy Jackson or Heroes of Olympus. Only Theron and other unrecognizable things.**

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**Return To Othrys - Chapter 15**

"Kronos is suspicious," Koios said as soon as all of the Titans were gathered and waiting for the meeting to start, "Theron hasn't come back yet, Kronos has been awake for a week, nearly two."

"The DireWolves are still searching for the Prince," Mnemosyne said, "but there is no sign of him."

Rhea frowned as she looked around the council, the Titans were getting more and more worried the longer Theron has been gone. It had been nearly five months since he had disappeared. "Since the Dires haven't found him, we can assume that he isn't down here. That leaves the surface and the void. We can't search the void, so we have to search the surface."

"If we do that then the gods will soon catch wind of what we are doing, then we will be fighting a war on two fronts," Krios said, "Theron will find his way back. The Prince is more capable than we think, don't you remember the Titanomachy?" The Titans slowly nodded as they remembered. "There is a reason Kronos named him as one of The Generals along with Atlas."

"Because both of them are arrogant little-"

"Hyperion!" Theia scolded, "He is the Prince and not actually all that bad, respect him."

"He is a pain in the _podex. _I think mother addled your brains when you decided to allow him onto the council."

"We allowed him onto the council because he helped us to kill Ouranos, Hyperion," Koios narrowed his eyes at his Titan brother. "or have you forgotten that already?"

Hyperion opened his mouth to reply when a figure slowly formed out of sea water. Oceanus appeared on his throne and looked around at his siblings. "Did you miss me?"

"So you've finally decided to join us then, brother?" Themis asked.

"Yes, my work on the surface is done for now and I think you all will find that Atlas is now outside training the army, and Iapetus – or Bob, whatever you want to call him – is now aware of who he is." Oceanus reclined back into his throne and smirked at the Titans looking at him.

"Oceanus, did you by any chance see Theron up there?" Rhea asked hopefully.

"Why?" Oceanus feigned ignorance. "What has happened to him?"

"We fear Gaea took him," Tethys said as she looked at Oceanus happily, "he has been gone for months now."

"Was it that long?" Oceanus asked shocked for a fleeting moment.

"He isn't in Tartarus, so he must be on the surface," Rhea insisted, "did you see him?"

"Oh, yes, I saw him." Oceanus said and several of the council members breathed out in relief. "He's right there." Oceanus pointed at the entrance of the throne room and the Titans swivelled their heads to see nobody standing there.

"This is not a joke, Oceanus," Rhea sighed as she turned back to face him, and saw something that almost made her jump out of her throne in shock. Theron was reclined back into his throne and looking bored as the Titans looked at him in surprise.

"Son," Rhea said in relief, "where have you been?"

Theron would have replied, but there was a small flash then Kronos was sitting on his throne. The Titans immediately sat up from their various positions of bewilderment and looked at their King.

"I know my son is not on _vacation_," Kronos growled and glared at Hyperion, "so where is he?"

"Here." Theron grinned and Kronos turned so abruptly he almost fell out of his throne, "Nice to see you again, father." Hyperion looked meaningfully at Theron and Theron understood immediately.

"Did you have a good _vacation_, Prince?" Hyperion asked.

Theron supressed a smile, "Yes, actually, it was very nice thank you. Wasn't it, Oceanus?"

"Could have been better," Oceanus shrugged.

"Where were you?" Kronos asked suspiciously.

"I decided I deserved a vacation on the surface and went to find Oceanus and Atlas. I also wanted to see how the mortals were coping with my gift."

"Your gift?" Kronos raised an eyebrow, "What gift?"

"I destroyed the Mist or most of it so that the mortals could see our world," Theron grinned, "the camp for demigods was being harassed by them."

Kronos nodded and Theron could tell that he was pleased. "Good, that will distract the gods whilst we ready our army."

"You can't seriously be suggesting-" Theron started saying in shock.

"I can and I am. This war they have going on with Gaea will distract them until it is too late."

"Father, Gaea is attacking us too," Theron pointed out, "we can't join her against them."

"We can," Kronos growled.

Theron shook his head. "Your hatred is blinding you, father, can't you tell that Gaea wants to destroy us too? She favours her youngest, the Giants." He then hesitated knowing that the Titans didn't want him to tell Kronos where he had been, but forged on. "I haven't been on a vacation recently. A few months ago, I went up to the surface."

"Months," Kronos repeated, "what have you been doing up there that takes months?"

"Hestia contacted me, saying that Hera was taken by Gaea like the First Giant War." All of the Titans quickly understood where this was heading. "It was a trap. Gaea knew I would have tried to save Hera."

"Luckily for our nephew, I was aware of what was happening and stopped Gaea," Oceanus said, "I don't think she was very happy. I have spent the last few months training him myself." Several Titans looked at Oceanus in shock – he usually kept to himself and rarely trained anyone.

"Basically, a few months ago Gaea tried to force me into fading," Theron summed up and once he had finished all of the Titans waited nervously for Kronos' reaction. The Titan King's eyes were closed tightly, whether in anger, annoyance or some other emotion they didn't know. Kronos was as still as one of Medusa's victims – as still as a rock – for several minutes.

When he eventually spoke his voice was low and controlled, though the Titans could all feel the anger he was trying to hold back. "You fools are all incredibly lucky that I haven't actually given Gaea my answer yet." Kronos' eyes opened and he met the gazes of all the Titans, "Which of you actually knew what had happened?"

"None of us, though we had our suspicions." Koios said carefully.

"Why didn't you contact any of the council?" Kronos glared at Theron.

"I wanted to get away from Othrys for a while," Theron replied evenly and Oceanus snickered, "shut up, uncle."

"What are we doing now then?" Hyperion asked hesitantly.

"Continue training the army," Kronos said, "Mother is still attacking us, they may be little raids but they are getting rather annoying. I won't give her an answer. If I deny her offer she will actually attack us with her full force. It is best if we act like we haven't decided."

"Once she is finished with the gods she will come here, brother," Phoebe warned, "and we won't be able to withstand her then."

"The _gods_," Kronos growled, "they will make her weaker, not by much, but it should be enough."

"Have we had a prophecy?" Krios asked warily.

"The Oracle of Delphi has given one," Phoebe nodded, "_Seven half-bloods shall answer the call, _

_to storm or fire the world must fall, _

_an oath to keep with a final breath, _

_and foes bear arms to the Doors of Death."_

"You know, I am starting to hate the Oracle of Delphi," Hyperion muttered.

"The Doors of Death?" Eurybia asked worriedly, "But if they are open then mother's army will be endless." All of the Titans turned to Theron who knew the most about the Doors and Tartarus as a whole.

"Yes," Theron frowned, "the Doors are open. There are fewer monsters in the Pit now as Gaea is drawing them all out. I received a prophecy from the Fates a few days, maybe a week ago: _The beginning will start with a Titan's fault, _

_The roots will stand against an assault, _

_When three enemies fight on the ancient plain, _

_the two Parthenon's and the Olympians' bane, _

_the King and Prince will enter into a fight, _

_only one will prevail with the strength of might."_

"That one worries me," Mnemosyne muttered and the Titans nodded in agreement.

"It is clear that a Titan will make a mistake." Krios offered.

"That doesn't exactly narrow it down." Koios muttered.

"We can think about the prophecy later." Kronos said and turned to look at his son, "Are the Fates going to interfere in this war?"

"They don't seem to have a preference." Theron grinned.

"So that means you won't betray us again?" Hyperion sneered. Kronos' eyes flashed dangerously and he started to speak, but Theron had summoned StormWraith to his hand and thrown it so that one of the three points struck the headrest of Hyperion's throne. The Titans between the Theron and Hyperion had to quickly duck as the trident sailed over their heads. Two of the points were inches from Hyperion's exposed face.

"Shut your mouth, _uncle,_" Theron growled and stood up, glaring at the Titan of Light. "You do not know how many times I have tried to change the destiny the Fates have set for Gaea. The last war I happily did what the Fates wanted because they told me one path would end in Othrys' destruction, another would lead to its rise. If we had won the last war we would have been too stubborn to ask for Olympus' help and we would have fallen to Gaea." He looked around at the assembled Titans, "Everything I will do and I have done was for the betterment of Othrys."

"That's a lie!" Hyperion roared though he was looking warily at the two trident points that quivered beside his face. "He destroyed us in the First War! You all remember how he fought Kronos at our roots, giving the upstart immortals time to regroup, do you not? He does not deserve to be a Titan, much less on the council!"

Theron looked sideways at Kronos, asking a silent question. The Titan King nodded slightly and that was all Theron needed. The Titan Prince held his hand out and StormWraith returned to him. Hyperion immediately stood up and unsheathed his imperial gold sword, lighting it on fire. Theron walked towards his uncle swinging his trident by his side. Krios leaned over and muttered something to Koios who nodded, Theron thought he saw something exchange hands and sighed. His uncles were always betting on fights. Oceanus was leaning forward on his throne, apparently wanting to see how easily Theron could beat his brother. Hyperion charged towards Theron and struck at his left side, Theron twisted out of the way and parried aside the attack with the shaft of StormWraith, Hyperion stumbled back as his nephew continued turning StormWraith around and smashed the butt into the older Titan's side. Hyperion quickly steadied himself and attacked, this time more cautiously. The two Titans fought back and forth across the throne room, exchanging attacks, parries and blocks. Hyperion began to fight with more intensity once he realised that he wouldn't be able to defeat Theron as easily as he used to be able to. Theron blocked one attack and the two immortals were locked together with their weapons between them, straining against each other. Hyperion had the advantage of height with nearly two more feet than Theron did, or he used to. Somehow, Theron had grown in his time away from Othrys. Hyperion standing at twelve feet was now only one foot higher than the Prince. Theron grinned and suddenly sidestepped, the sudden loss of resistance surprised Hyperion and the Titan stumbled forward in an attempt to steady himself. Theron spun so he was behind Hyperion and elbowed him in the back, unsettling him even more. The Prince then thrust the butt of StormWraith behind him, feeling the spike connect with Hyperion's armour and tear through it. Hyperion grunted as he was forced towards the black marbled floor and Oceanus leaned back, obviously satisfied.

Theron looked around at the Titans, most of who stared at him in shock. "Do any more of you have any qualms about me being here?"

Kronos waited half a minute for any of the Titans to voice their complaints, but they all stayed silent. Theron pulled StormWraith out of Hyperion, the single spike snagging on his armour a little and made his way back to his throne as Hyperion struggled to his feet. Once the two Titans were sat on their thrones and Hyperion had been healed to the best of their ability, Kronos spoke. "I believe that completes this council meeting, unless any of you have something you wish to say." None of the Titans spoke up so Kronos continued, "Meeting dismissed. Son, I wish to speak with you… and, Hyperion, you should get that looked at by the healers."

Hyperion muttered a few words under his breath that Theron thought weren't going to be very flattering, and then he erupted into a column of flames and was gone. Krios handed a happy Koios twenty septims, and the various council members flashed out.

Kronos stood up as soon as they were gone and turned to look at Theron thoughtfully. He inspected his son with a calculating gaze for a couple of minutes. Eventually, he said, "Walk with me, son." The Titan King then strode out of the throne room. Theron hesitated before following – Kronos wasn't in the best of moods. They were going to have to talk soon, but Theron had hoped his father wouldn't have wanted to talk straight away and that he could try to think of some excuses that would actually make sense. After debating with himself for a few seconds, Theron quickly jogged to catch up to Kronos.

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**Next chapter - Talk With The King**

**And Theron has returned to Othrys, Kronos is reformed and the Titans are in full swing gathering their power. This chapter was primarily to show how the Titans are gradually entering the war and how Theron is at odds with several of the members of the council.**


	16. Talk With The King

**I decided to update this chapter early as a remembrance day special. **

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**Chapter 16 - Talk With The King**

The two Titans walked side by side down the black marble corridors, Kronos seemed to have a destination in mind as slowly they were making their way to the top of Othrys. Any being that they passed bowed to them, Kronos ignored the gesture but Theron inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement of the sign of respect. They walked in a comfortable silence for several minutes until Theron finally decided to speak up, he was staring to get slightly uncomfortable with his father not speaking to him.

"You're looking… uh, well," Theron said, "how long did it take you to reform?"

"I completely reformed one week ago, and I'm not even going to bother to reply to your first comment," Kronos said still looking ahead.

"Well, compared to the last time I saw you – before my dip in the Lethe – you looked much worse than this." Theron smiled slightly, "You looked awful."

"What exactly are you trying to accomplish?" Kronos looked at Theron out of the corner of his eye as they turned a corner.

"Just trying to make conversation," Theron grinned, "how do you feel?"

"How do you think I feel, son?" Kronos growled, "That was second time you have killed me when I was so close to winning!"

"The first time I didn't actually kill you," Theron said quietly.

"Your actions were directly leading to by death, it makes no difference whether you did the final blow or not." Kronos said sharply, "And, might I add, this time you did kill me yourself, though not without some damage to yourself."

Theron looked at his father curiously, "What do you mean?"

"Have you not looked in a mirror recently? You have a scar on your neck now from Backbiter." Kronos chuckled.

"I'm not going to get off lightly, am I?" Theron asked warily as he ran his fingers along his neck until he found a scar there.

"Definitely not," Kronos scowled as he headed towards a spiral staircase that went up several floors. "You don't know how hard it is for me, do you?"

"What do you mean?"

"The Titans are angry with you, stopping them from getting their revenge on you isn't easy, son," Kronos said warily, "Hyperion will want to kill you for how you disrespected him earlier, Krios has always had a grudge on you, Themis doesn't particularly like you, and there are other Titans that aren't on the council that hate you."

"Prometheus, Astraeus, Epimetheus, Menoetius, Perses just annoys me… any others that I have forgotten?" Theron counted on his fingers.

"That's eight Titans, son," Kronos sighed, "then we have Gaea who absolutely hates your _podex_, and Ouranos would be another being after your ichor if we didn't kill him. If I didn't know you any better, I would think you are going for a record."

"Nah, I leave that to the half-bloods."

Kronos stiffened, "Not now, son."

"Come on, father!" Theron almost yelled at Kronos, "You know they won't be able to win against Gaea by themselves, you want them to fall."

"Of course I do," Kronos scoffed. "The council agreed we weren't going to help them, it's out of my hands now."

"What do you mean it's out of your hands? You're the King!" Theron said in astonishment, "Anything you say they have to do."

Kronos frowned, "There is a difference to being a ruler and a tyrant, son. They can do what they want and I would rather not become like my father before me."

"Looks like the trait skipped a gene then," Theron muttered, "Zeus seems to be more of a tyrant than you."

"Indeed," Kronos was amused, "though if that is so then I should be wary of ever letting you rule."

Theron shrugged. "I'm fine with that. I am content with just being on the council, who knows how many more enemies I will have if I ever become King."

"Enough to give me work for the next few centuries."

"I'm not that bad, right?"

"It depends on your point of view." Kronos chuckled.

"Oceanus told me that I'm almost exactly like you when you were my age." Theron grinned.

"I didn't run around stealing my father's weapon." Kronos retorted.

"He didn't have one. Your scythe was the first weapon ever," Theron said then added as an afterthought, "Not including a body part or any rocks."

"I don't think I was as annoying as you when you are younger," Kronos stopped as they finally reached a door, it was engraved with a golden scythe set in the centre of the black marble. "You wouldn't leave me alone for months."

"I was a kid, okay?" Theron groaned, "I soon grew out of it."

"After seven months," Kronos said as he opened the door. Inside the room was a huge King's bed, the walls were a mix between emerald and gold. The floor (like the rest of Othrys) was black with flecks of red mixed in. Othrys had literally been made form Tartarus. Originally the primordial had been annoyed with the building made from him, but had quickly learnt that the Titans had no intention of leaving, despite his countless attempts.

"Why are we here?" Theron asked as he entered the massive room.

"We are here because it is the only place in this entire area where we can talk privately." Kronos said shutting the door behind his son.

"That's because every being here, be it monster, half-blood, or Titan, is completely terrified of your anger." Theron laughed.

"Good," Kronos chuckled, "they should be, what about you?"

"I find you as scary as a new-born hellhound." Theron grinned, " One that's not yet grown its claws."

"Are you comparing me to a pup, son?"

"No." Theron hurriedly said, "You're far too old to be considered a pup. You're more like a mortal who has gone senile from old age."

Kronos glared at Theron who smiled slightly the Titan King sighed and moved to open another door that led out of the room, Theron followed him knowing that his father wasn't in the best of moods. The double doors opened onto a balcony that overlooked the entire area that the Titans had taken as their own. "When I say 'Othrys', what do you think?" Kronos asked.

"What?"

"Humour me, son," Kronos said as he walked out onto the balcony and leaned against the railings, "When you look at what we rule over, what is the first thing that comes to mind?"

Theron was thinking it was a trick question, but said the first thing he thought of. "Of how much we have had to go through to get here."

"Good," Kronos said as he scanned the area below them with sharp eyes, "now how did we manage to do this?"

"I'm not a child, father," Theron said loudly.

"I know, just humour me, son," Kronos said looking his son in the eyes.

Theron thought for a moment as he leaned on the railings and watched the army train, "With a lot of effort and commitment."

"Can you think of anything else, son?" Kronos asked.

Theron thought for a while before nodding slowly. "Law and order, and rules to abide by, and a lot of battles to prove that we mean what we say."

"Exactly, and I trust you remember what our rules are for traitors?" Kronos asked and Theron immediately understood why his father had wanted privacy from the other Titans.

"Depending on how grave the betrayal was, you are to give the punishment." Theron said stiffly and didn't turn to look at the Titan King.

Kronos nodded and turned back to look over Othrys. "I was originally going to ground you for three millennia, but I think I will lower it to one as I trust that what you said in the throne room about having two choices was true - except from the fact that there are three Fates because there are always three or more choices. That means no leaving Othrys unless you are allowed to, and definitely no flying."

Theron's jaw dropped. He was expecting far worse and tried to speak but Kronos held up a hand and beat him to it, "Before you ask, no that is not all. You also have to help Hyperion and Krios with training the army for three weeks. That means helping them with demonstrations if they are needed and not complaining when you are used as a training dummy."

"Are you serious?" Theron asked in shock, "You want me to train the army?"

"Oceanus trained you well if you could defeat Hyperion as easily as you did," Kronos said and Theron could see that he was trying to supress a smile. "This is not really a punishment, but I think you deserve your old title of 'General' back."

Theron's eyes widened, that title had been stripped from him when he betrayed Othrys in the Titanomachy, Kronos chuckled at the expression on his son's face, "Since my siblings will likely not be satisfied yet with your punishment, I am also going to say that you have to do anything that Hyperion wants whilst you are helping him with training the army. You did impale him, son."

"He was asking for it," Theron shrugged.

"It does not exactly help Othrys; we are struggling as it is with Gaea's raids." Kronos sighed.

"You would not actually help her, would you?" Theron asked curiously.

"I do not know, son," Kronos said as he leaned against the railings of the balcony, "considering the last war that took place, yes, I would. Revenge on the Olympians is one of the things I want the most at the moment, though you raised a good point back in the council meeting. Gaea has always favoured her children, the Giants. She would turn on us once the war is finished if we helped her, and she will try to destroy us if we do not help her. But, to me, you are more important than my revenge. Gaea will try to kill you no matter what side we choose. Even though it may not seem like it, all of Othrys, Hyperion and Krios included, would give their lives to protect you." Kronos turned to look Theron in the eyes, "No matter what, Othrys will stand by you, you can count on that."

"Hyperion and Krios would sooner impale themselves on their own weapons than help me, father," Theron scowled.

"You can sometimes be an annoying pain in the _podex, _son," Kronos chuckled, "but I think you will find that you are now an important part in our immortal lives, even if they do not want you to be."

"That really warms my heart," Theron said sarcastically.

Kronos frowned and his golden eyes inspected Theron like he was an elaborate puzzle, "You have changed," The Titan King eventually decided.

"How so and is that good or bad?" Theron asked as he ran a hand through his hair.

"You seem more… mortal," Kronos said, "and more confident, you are also a lot more sarcastic. You used to use no sarcasm, always serious unless you were playing a prank."

"I may seem more mortal because I have spent seven decades with them." There was a faraway look in Theron's eyes as he spoke, "I learnt some things as Seth. Mortals do not live long if you compare to us, but they do what they can in the time they have. We live forever unless we fade, as a result of that we are slow to adapt to changes. Nor do we do much with our lives but fight and argue. Then when I almost died and Iapetus had to pull me back from the Underworld, I began to think if I would have made it to Elysium. Recently I have been asking myself the same question, as Theron would I be put in the Fields of Punishment, the Fields of Asphodel, or Elysium? Is it even possible for immortals to change their habits and who they are, or are Titans going to be known as the worst rulers of mankind for ever?"

Kronos was silent as the two Titans thought over what Theron had said, after almost half an hour he eventually spoke. "You would have made it to Elysium, you can count on that. The rest of us?" He spread his arms out as if embracing someone, "I do not think I could say the same for the rest of us. I think that if we were mortals and thus had a time of death, we would be different, but we are not. Perhaps we should see what happens if we think over our past, our mistakes, the wars we started over petty arguments."

"I can think of a mistake that you did easily, father," Theron smiled slightly.

"Yes, son, I would probably change that if I could go back," Kronos immediately understood what his son meant. "If I had not eaten them, everything would be different. We would not have been stuck down here for millennia if that had not happened."

"We can change, father," Theron said calmly, "It will not be impossible. Though I have to say, I am too much like a mortal now, am I not?"

"You are," Kronos agreed, "do not worry, son, if you are here for a few weeks, you will quickly become used to being a Titan again." He then chuckled and flung an arm around Theron's shoulders, "Now, come, I believe your mother wants a word with you."

"Oh, holy immortals," Theron muttered, "can you tell her I fell off the balcony?"

"Sorry, son, I say that and she will throw me off of it." Kronos chuckled. Theron made a face but resigned himself to being scolded by Rhea.

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**Next chapter: Falling**

**What do you think happens in the next chapter?**


	17. Falling

**Disclaimer: I do not own either series of Percy Jackson. Just Theron and anything else not in the actual books.**

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**Chapter 17 - Falling**

"I said no!" Kronos bellowed.

Theron flinched slightly but stood tall as his father yelled and he interrupted as soon as possible. "Father, I gave him two favours that he could use to request something of us."

"I am not going to help the gods, the son of Hermes asks too much of us." Kronos growled, "The gods can fight off Gaea themselves."

"We owe Luke, father, or have you forgotten that you possessed his body and essentially urged him to commit suicide." Theron retorted.

"Your father is right, Prince," Koios interrupted the shouting match to state his opinion. "The son of Hermes asks too much, the gods would never march to rescue us, so why should we?"

"Let the gods rot in the Void," Hyperion scowled, "I will not help them."

"Please, we must think rationally here, brothers," Themis said calmly, "Theron has a point."

"Says you," Krios snorted, "the _ex-wife_ of Zeus. I still cannot believe you ever thought it would be a good idea to marry him."

"You want to bet, star boy?" Themis asked.

"Star boy!" Krios exclaimed and stood up from his throne, drawing his sword.

"Hyperion," Theron warned darkly, "if you do not shut up about letting the gods rot in the Void then I will kill you."

"Enough!" Kronos roared over the arguments of the other Titans and glared briefly at his son, "Sheathe your weapons and take to your thrones, we will not decide this matter bickering like mortal children!"

The Titans grumbled but did as Kronos had said, once they had settled down Kronos turned to Theron. "Explain."

"Luke Castellan, the demigods son of Hermes that hosted Lord Kronos in the last war, Arke-messaged me and requested that we march to Thessaly to help the gods against Gaea-"

"How in the name of Tartarus did the demigod brat even find out about Arke-messaging?" Hyperion asked incredulously.

"I told him," Theron said sharply.

"You told a demigod!" Hyperion exclaimed.

"Alright, that's it!" Kronos bellowed, "The next Titan to talk whilst my son is explaining will find that they will be helping him with training the archers for a week!"

Theron's eyes flashed darkly as he grinned and looked at Hyperion expectantly, obviously waiting for him to speak up. Hyperion wisely stayed silent so Kronos gestured for his son to continue.

"He asked that we help the gods against Gaea. I gave him two favours that he could ask from the Titans-"

"That was not yours to give!" Hyperion exploded.

"Hyperion, you have gotten yourself a job for a week!" Kronos exclaimed in mock happiness, "I am sure my son would appreciate even more help too."

"Of course, father, the archers can never have enough moving targets." Theron smirked at Hyperion who muttered some curses under his breath.

"Please, son, finish," Kronos said as he glared at Hyperion.

"So, two favours, right… He used one of those favours to ask that we help the gods." Theron finished.

"Now you may all speak," Kronos said and immediately objections were yelled out. "Holy Primordials," Kronos muttered then shouted, "One at a bloody time!"

There was silence then Oceanus chuckled and said, "You do realise you just called yourself bloody, correct?"

Kronos shot an annoyed glare at his eldest brother and grumbled, "Oh, shut up, fish face."

"I am not helping the gods!" Koios yelled. "They would not help us, why should we help them?"

Most of the Titanesses were watching the chaos in amusement. Theia was backing up Hyperion who was arguing with Theron, "I am not going to help the gods either, Hell Boy," she scowled.

"You will do anything that Hyperion wants, and who are you calling Hell Boy?" Theron exclaimed as he gripped StormWraith until his knuckles were white. Theron was the shortest Titan in the throne room, but his presence was impossible to miss. Even with the other Titans shouting at each other, their voices steadily rising in volume to be heard.

Themis was arguing with Phoebe, but unlike the Titans' arguments, no weapons were yet drawn.

Eurybia was trying to help Krios who was about to draw his sword and attack Mnemosyne and Tethys.

Kronos, Rhea and Oceanus were watching the scene in front of them in equal annoyance and amusement. Then Hyperion abruptly drew his imperial gold sword, lit it on fire, and lunged towards Theron. A split second after, all of the other Titans drew their weapons. Theron twisted slightly to the side, still sitting down, and Hyperion's sword stabbed the Prince's throne where his head was a second before. Theron made to rise to his feet, but Kronos gestured to his foot.

Theron quickly understood what his father wanted him to do and stomped his foot, causing a major earthquake that was confined to the throne room.

"Everyone sit down!" Kronos roared as the Titans regained their balance. After a lot of death glares and threats from the Titan King all of the Titans were sat and their weapons put away.

"We will vote on this matter, not squabble over it like children," Kronos said harshly, "Now, all those for the motion that we help the gods?"

Theron, Rhea, Oceanus, Themis, Mnemosyne and Tethys raised their hands.

"All those against?" Kronos said as he raised his own hand. Hyperion, Krios, Koios, Theia, Eurybia, and Phoebe soon followed.

"We will not help the gods," Kronos announced, "they can help themselves."

Theron scowled and reluctantly summoned a septim to contact Luke with and tell him of the council's decision. "Arke, show me Luke Castellan at Camp half-blood."

Luke was eating breakfast in the pavilion and jumped when the image shimmered into existence. All of the demigods looked over to see the image hovering in front of Luke and all noise ceased.

"Luke, what…" Chiron asked as he cantered over to see what the problem was and his eyes widened when he saw Theron looking at them.

"The Titans have denied your request, Castellan," Theron said cutting straight to the chase.

"What?" Luke exclaimed, "But you said-"

"I know what I said, but I am afraid there is one person whose words will always overrule mine." Theron said calmly.

"Who?" Luke asked shocked, "You're the Prince, who could possibly be in a position higher than you?"

"The King," Theron said simply and Luke's eyes widened. Chiron's horse half skittered nervously.

"Kronos is alive?" Chiron asked incredulously.

"Alive, annoying, blinded by his hate for the gods, not listening to anyone, um…" Theron counted on his fingers, "Have I missed anything?"

He looked at Kronos, who the demigods couldn't see, and grinned. "Yes," Kronos scowled, "you forgot to say I am right here listening to this Arke-message and am not very pleased with recent events. Also, if you continue listing any more then you will be grounded for another millennia." He then decided that Theron wasn't getting the point across quickly enough and stood up, moving in front of the Arke-message so that he was visible to the campers. Chiron's eyes widened and he nervously moved back a few paces, Luke clenched his hands into fists and struggled to control his anger.

"Luke Castellan," Kronos mused, "you are angry with me. Why is that? I gave you what you wanted, an opportunity to tear down Olympus."

"You gave yourself an opportunity to tear down Olympus," Luke corrected.

"Either way, your request has been denied. We will _never_ help the gods," Kronos' eyes flashed dangerously, "and they will never accept our help." He moved to disperse the image, but Theron suddenly stiffened and Kronos turned his attention to his son curiously.

"Impossible," Theron muttered under his breath.

"Son, what has happened?" Kronos asked warily.

"Nothing," Theron said firmly.

"You are a terrible liar, son." Kronos said dryly, "now tell me, what has happened?"

The Pit around them suddenly rumbled and it sounded like laughing, the ground and walls shook. "If I said nothing of importance, would you believe me?"

"No, something has even Tartarus excited. That cannot be anything small."

Theron took a pained breath and summoned a Septim to hand, he threw it through the air and said, "Arke, show me the entrance to Tartarus near Arachne's Lair." The air shimmered and formed another image, one that had the campers pale. There was a massive shred in the Earth. "Enter the Pit," Theron ordered and the image seemed to fly down the entrance. "Stop when you see the demigods."

Kronos' eyes widened. "Which demigods would be stupid enough to fall into Tartarus?"

Theron didn't reply, but watched the image intently. Then the Titans could clearly see the shapes falling down. "Is that…" Kronos trailed off in disbelief then started laughing, "Oh, this is going to be fun!"

"That is Jackson!" Hyperion exclaimed in excitement.

"Behold," Theron laughed, "the two demigods foolish enough the fall into Tartarus."

"Jackson and Annabeth," Kronos chuckled, "son, how long do you think it will take for you to find them?"

"Nine days for them to fall, so around twelve days," Theron decided, "give or take a few hours depending on if I run into Lycaon and his pack or not."

"Oh, good," Kronos eyed the two demigods in the image in distaste. "I want them here and in front of me in no later than thirteen days."

"You grounded me," Theron said hopefully, "I am not allowed to leave Othrys."

"But I am giving you permission to leave," Kronos glared at Theron.

The Prince nodded and stood up, "I will find them in no more than thirteen days and lead them to the Rock Shelter near the Jagged Cliffs, set up an ambush. At least, I will find them if they do not get killed first."

Kronos swiped his hand through both of the Arke-messages as Theron fire travelled to his room to gather the equipment he would need for the hunt.

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**Next chapter: Dying**

**Percy and Annabeth are going to be in trouble :)**

**I need to know should i make Nico gay or not? Or should i follow the canon pairing for him? (Not going to say what the pairing is as some people still haven't read Blood Of Olympus).**


	18. Dying

**A whole week! Gods... i feel horrible. To make up for it i will update again tomorrow :)**

**And, uh... I don't own Percy Jackson or Heroes of Olympus.**

**I am ashamed in all of you! No reviews? It doesn't take long to review... just a few words... please?**

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**Chapter 18 - Dying**

Five years ago if anyone ever told Percy that he would willingly fall into Tartarus with his girlfriend, who happened to be a daughter of Athena, and try to find (and close) the Doors of Death he would have called them a liar and immediately ignored them.

Yet, here he was, trying to survive as he walked across Tartarus with Annabeth. It wasn't exactly his idea of a date, yet nothing beats a bit of bonding time like a good old fight to the death.

First, it had been one of the five rivers of the Underworld, the River of Lamentation, the Cocytus. Percy had almost drowned and Annabeth had had to get him to start talking about the future Percy had planned for them in Camp Jupiter to get him to help get them out of the river.

Next, it had been the very atmosphere of Tartarus. The air was acid, the water misery. Everything was designed to hurt and kill. The two demigods had quickly developed rashes across their arms and hurried to their feet.

Then they had to climb down a cliff that had an eighty foot drop. At the bottom ran the river of fire, the Phlegethon. After almost falling to their deaths several times, they reached the bottom. Annabeth had decided that drinking fire-water from the Phlegethon was their best chance, so she had shoved both of her hands into the river. Percy had once again almost died when he didn't drink fast enough and fell unconscious.

That was when Arachne decided to attack, Percy had defended Annabeth and vaporised the spider without a second thought. They then set off to find the Doors of Death, making sure they stayed beside the Phlegethon to take regular drinks.

The next trail Tartarus put them through was running into a group of Empousai. Kelli the cheerleader that Percy and Annabeth had run into years ago seemed to be the leader of the group. Following the monsters through Tartarus had been hard, especially when they had set up an ambush for the two demigods.

After a brief fight, Percy was bitten on the neck, and then his sword arm. Annabeth was clawed down her arm and fell. Riptide clattered to the ground. Then a shadow had fallen across Percy. A deep war cry bellowed from somewhere above, echoing across the plains of Tartarus, and a Titan had dropped onto the battlefield.

Apparently, Bob (formerly known as Iapetus), had heard Percy and Annabeth say his name. The janitor of the Underworld had jumped into Tartarus to help. Bob had then started leading them through Tartarus once he had heard that they were looking for the Doors of Death. Bob's silver eyes gleamed in the darkness of the Pit as he had lead them to a rest stop.

The rest stop had turned out to be a shrine of Hermes. The good thing about that was that in the morning (or what they thought was the morning) food had appeared on the altar. Bob had been eating a slice of pepperoni pizza when Annabeth woke up. Percy had stayed awake to keep watch as Annabeth didn't feel that safe with a Titan guarding them. Annabeth had then used Riptide to write a message on a napkin and with the help of Bob had then set it on fire, hoping that the napkin would be sent to Camp Half-Blood.

Then Bob had stopped when they reached a small crater in the ground. Inside it was a golden fluid then had seemed to have exploded, splattering everything around. Bob had looked at the liquid for a few seconds until Percy had asked what was wrong. Bob told him that a Titan was there, and then they set off again on the lookout for any unfriendly visitors.

They ran into a kitten which quickly found a friend in Bob. Small Bob joined them on their journey through Tartarus.

Then the Arai had found them. Percy had killed one and immediately felt a sharp pain on the sides of his chest. It was like how he had killed Geryon at the ranch in Texas during the quest in the Labyrinth. Then Annabeth had killed one and was made blind. Polyphemus had cursed her when she had tricked him in the Sea of Monsters in her and Percy's second quest. Bob had fought them all back and received no curses. The Arai cackled and told him that Percy had already cursed him enough by destroying his memory. Then the Arai attacked again, and this time Bob didn't stop them. Annabeth had killed another, a curse that Calypso put on her when Percy had left the daughter of Atlas on Ogygia was placed onto Annabeth and Percy couldn't touch her. Percy then attacked them all. Curses layered onto the son of Poseidon: a stabbing pain in the gut, a burning sensation like he was being blasted with a blowtorch. Others were more subtle: a chill in the blood, an uncontrollable tic in his right eye. Then he sliced through one more and immediately fell to his knees. His mouth burned and he doubled over. The curse of Phineas, Percy was dying of gorgon's blood. He rose to his feet, intending to go down fighting, and all of the Arai exploded into dust.

Bob cut through the demons in seconds. Then he quickly stopped Annabeth from walking over a cliff and healed her with a touch. Bob's memories had almost completely returned to him, of course the demigods didn't know that Oceanus had started off the process. Now though, he could almost recall his entire life. Bob then led them through Tartarus towards Damasen, the anti-Ares.

Percy was dying. They entered a swamp and a roar echoed around. A Maeonian drakon charged Bob and Annabeth. Before it could reach them, Damasen burst out of his hut in the middle of the swamp and killed the drakon by impaling its head using an oak tree.

Percy fell unconscious as Bob carried him inside the hut and laid him down on the giant's bed made of sheepskins and drakon leather.

Percy awoke the next day when the Maeonian drakon roared. "What? What – where – what?"

"It's okay." Annabeth touched is arm.

"That noise… where are we?" He asked confused as he noticed they were lying together in a giant's bed.

"How much do you remember?" Annabeth asked.

"I – the demon arai – and then… not much."

"There is no time, little mortals." Damasen said, "The drakon is returning. I fear its roar will draw the others – my brethren, hunting you. They will be here within minutes."

"I sense a Titan approaching too," Bob rumbled.

"What will you tell them when you get here?" Annabeth asked warily.

"There will be nothing to say as long as you are gone." Damasen said and handed them two drakon-leather satchels. "Clothes, food, drink."

"We have no time," Bob said, "We need to leave now." He was starting to get edgy and looked outside the small hut.

Damasen frowned for a few seconds. "A being has entered my swamp."

"What – who?" Percy asked hesitantly.

"No time," Damasen said, "you must leave. He is rapidly approaching."

"The Prophecy of Seven," Annabeth muttered, "You have to come with us! _Foes bear arms to the Doors of Death._ It means us – demigods, a giant, and a Titan. We need you!"

"No, child," Damasen murmured, "my curse is here. I cannot escape it."

"Yes, you can!" Annabeth exclaimed, "Find another fate - break the cycle."

"I cannot. My swamp is the only place I can picture."

Remember my face, when you want to leave think of me." Annabeth insisted.

"One gift, before you leave," Damasen said as he took something from his belt. "You cannot go into battle unarmed." He handed Annabeth a sharp, double edged sword made of drakon bone. "Now go, before it is too late!"

"Too late," Bob muttered and took out his broom, the spear tip shot out of the end and he turned to the entrance of the hut. "He is here."

"Who is here?" Percy asked, "You still haven't told us who is hunting us."

Bob ignored him and walked out through the door, to meet whoever had found them. Percy and Annabeth quickly followed and frowned. Bob was facing off against a black wolf that was about twice the size of a horse. As they watched, the wolf drew back onto its hind legs and shifted its form.

A Titan in full battle gear was soon standing in the place of the wolf. "Iapetus?" He asked incredulously, "What in the name of Tartarus are you doing here? I would not have thought that you would help them."

"I could say the same to you." Bob said, "So why are you here?"

"The council know they are in Tartarus," The Titan gestured to Percy and Annabeth, "they are currently searching for them. Where are you planning on going?"

"To the Doors of Death," Bob replied.

"Who are you?" Percy asked as he pointed Riptide.

"Do you now recognise me?" The Titan chuckled as he took off his helmet. "I would say it is a pleasure to see you again, Jackson, but the circumstances are not what I was intending," Theron grinned.

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**Next chapter - Travelling Through The Pit**

**I need reviews! Well, not really, but they are nice to have sometimes and they help my writing. You don't want me to stop this story do you?**


	19. Travelling Through The Pit

**As promised... another chapter**

**I do not own Percy Jackson or Heroes of Olympus, otherwise Kronos would probably have won the war and Luke would still be alive, the gods would be in Tartarus and Percy would currently be serving the Titans... that would be an interesting story. **

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**Chapter 19 - Travelling Through The Pit**

It hadn't taken Theron as long as he had thought it would to find Perseus and Annabeth. Everywhere they went there were trails of monster dust and their half-blood scent. He definitely hadn't expected to see Iapetus with them, but he was planning on finding his uncle soon and bringing him back to Othrys.

Now, he was leading them through Tartarus. Originally, Iapetus had been dubious when Theron had said they should go through the Rock Shelter, though when Theron had told his uncle that their current route was going to take them straight into the rear of Gaea's army, he had quickly agreed.

Theron sighed as he looked around Tartarus. Being in the Pit didn't annoy him as much as it did the other Titans. Thousands of monsters were in the Pit and he was buzzing with energy. "So, Bob," Theron bit his lip to keep him from laughing, "why are you down here?"

"Percy and Annabeth said my name," Iapetus shrugged, "so I jumped."

"You jumped into Tartarus?" Theron asked incredulously. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought you hated the Pit."

"They fell into Tartarus," Iapetus pointed out. "And my memories still hadn't come back." His silver eyes turned steely.

"I know, they are incredibly stupid," Theron grinned and then glanced back to check on the two half-bloods stumbling along behind. "It is not fun, is it?"

"What isn't?" Iapetus frowned.

"Having your memories wiped. Having no clue who you are and being influenced to do certain things," Theron scowled, "having someone make you believe that the gods are the good ones. That they have never done anything wrong, and we are the ones that try to 'destroy' humanity," Theron made quote marks with his fingers, "they have done just as many bad things as us. Yet, because they are the ones currently 'ruling' no one can speak out against them. If we had won the first war then it would be the gods on Tartarus and the mortals' views would have changed." His voice had been steadily rising as he spoke until he was yelling at the top of his voice.

"You really needed to get this out, didn't you?" Iapetus asked amusedly.

"We are the only Titans that have had another view, the view of the gods onto us. We have changed." Theron said grimly, "Something that was thought impossible for immortals."

"If it takes having your memory wiped to happen," Percy interrupted, "I'd happily help."

"Jackson, if you go anywhere near the other titans they will not hesitate to separate your neck from your body." Theron growled.

"It that a threat, a warning, or a joke?"

"The first two, definitely not a joke," Theron sighed. "Unless you find it funny that you will be dead, most of the Titans will." Theron scanned the horizon warily. He could sense that some unpleasant monsters were nearing them and sped up into a jog. Iapetus quickly kept pace, but Perseus and Annabeth had to sprint to not fall behind.

Roars sounded above them in the darkness of Tartarus, Theron's eyes could pick out massive shapes moving above them and cursed.

"What are they?" Iapetus asked; his eyes weren't as good as Theron's, the Prince was the Titan of Hunting.

"Rogue Elder Dragons," Theron said as he kept an eye on the sky.

"What are they?" Annabeth asked, "I've never heard of them."

"They are Elder Dragons that don't listen to me," Theron replied.

"Just kill them and be done with it," Iapetus said.

"I can't," Theron scowled, "I am grounded. Not allowed to fly."

"Anything else I should know?" Iapetus asked.

"Um… I was given the title The General again; I train the archers now, I have to do whatever Hyperion and Krios say for a week, it was three weeks but two weeks have gone since that."

"That's not much," Iapetus sounded disappointed.

"I am grounded for one millennia."

"That's better."

Theron rolled his eyes and glanced up again. More Elder Dragons were grouping above them, now there were five hovering there and watching the small group go by. Iapetus and Theron would be able to defeat five Elder Dragons, but they had to protect the demigods too and wouldn't be able to be as reckless as they usually were whilst fighting.

They roared again and Theron frowned, "They obviously know who we are, they are calling for reinforcements."

"We could try and scare them off," Iapetus suggested.

"It will not work," Theron shook his head, "they will only go if I join them in the air and scare them off from there. Otherwise they will attack us."

"We could take cover until they fly over us," Percy interjected.

"No… that will not work either." Theron frowned as he glanced at the sky again, and then he grinned, "Follow me." He abruptly changed direction, going towards a wall of Tartarus that was about a hundred yards away. The way was completely open ground.

"Are you sure?" Annabeth asked, "They can pick us off one by one."

"I am sure," Theron said firmly and started to run across the plain. Iapetus sighed and followed him as Percy and Annabeth hurried to catch up.

The further across Tartarus that they sprinted, the more daring the Rogue Dragons became. One eventually dived down at Theron, but before it could touch him its course was redirected into one of the few rocky outcrops. The rocks fell onto of the Dragon and it was soon nothing but golden dust covering the ground. Soon after that, howls struck up around them.

"Is that…" Iapetus reached for his spear, but Theron held his hand out and stopped him.

"DireWolves," He muttered, "One of the Packs live around here."

"Aren't DireWolves in the Norse myths?" Annabeth asked curiously.

"Yes, they are named that after my DireWolves," Theron grinned, "This way." He let them towards a gap between two rocks that led straight into the wall of Tartarus. Around them, the DireWolves continued howling and the Elder Dragons stayed where they were, wary of the wolves.

"We will not go all the way in, just far enough so that the Dragons can no longer see us," Theron explained as he walked on ahead, Iapetus hummed to himself as they walked whilst Percy and Annabeth looked around warily, keeping one hand on their weapon at all times.

"Stop here," Theron said once they had entered a tunnel and the Elder Dragons could no longer see them.

"For how long?" Percy asked nervously.

"Until they stop calling for reinforcements," Theron said as he sat down with his back against the wall.

"How long will that take?"

"Holy immortals," Theron muttered, "you ask a lot of questions, Perseus."

Percy frowned at the use of his full name, but also settled down. Annabeth sat next to him and he wrapped his arms around her. Theron scowled at the two demigods and found himself wishing that Styx was here.

"You look wistful, nephew," Iapetus commented.

"I do not," Theron frowned.

"Yes, you do," Iapetus suppressed a smile, "who is it?"

"Nobody," Theron argued.

"You are a worse liar than your father," Iapetus laughed. "And that's saying something. You can tell me."

"Just do not tell anyone," Theron warned.

"I won't, promise."

"I am dating Styx," Theron grinned.

"What!" Iapetus yelled in shock, "Are you mad? You're father-"

"My father is not alive to argue," Theron scowled and glanced at the demigods.

"Still, he told you to stay away from her. Every time you talk to her, you end up doing something. First it was you taking Kronos' scythe, and then it was Hyperion's sword."

Theron grinned, "That was fun."

"What does the council say?" Iapetus asked.

"I have not told then yet," Theron said lightly.

"Holy immortals," Iapetus muttered.

Theron grinned and cocked his head to the side, after hearing no wing beats for almost ten seconds he stood up. "They are gone, let us be off."

He waited until Percy and Annabeth were on their feet then took off, Iapetus at his side. There was no sign of the Elder Dragons above them, but Theron was still wary. Elder Dragons were very intelligent monsters, they were probably still in the area somewhere. Theron could see the Jagged Cliffs rising up above everything else. The Jagged Cliffs were exactly like they sounded - a massive valley with eighty foot tall cliffs that had jagged edges surrounding it. The cliffs dwarfed everything in the area and were a good landmark to use, every being that was in Tartarus for a year or more knew about them. Elder Dragons flew around the peaks of the mountains and hellhounds jumped from ledge to ledge, trying to reach the top.

The Rock Shelter was a group of tunnels leading through one of the cliffs that was almost impossible to navigate. The Titans knew the tunnels like the back of their hands, and since they practically sat in the throne room twiddling their thumbs or wandered Tartarus for their entire lives, they knew the tunnels second only to Tartarus himself.

Theron set off at a slower pace so Perseus and Annabeth no longer had to sprint to keep up. Instead, they travelled at a steady jog. Iapetus frowned as he looked at the Cliffs and he seemed confused. Theron knew he was able to sense the Titans currently roaming the Shelter.

Soon, the small group was passing through the shadow of the Cliffs. Percy and Annabeth looked at the landscape in amazement.

"Keep to the cliff face," Theron ordered. Keeping to the cliff face would mean that they weren't visible from any of the monsters roaming around.

"What is this place?" Annabeth asked as she looked around.

"The Jagged Cliffs," Theron said. "Be careful of the walls, they are still part of Tartarus and made of sharp rock." Annabeth quickly took her hand off the wall, not wanting to be hurt any more than she already was.

Theron could see the entrance to the Rock Shelter ahead, the darkness that seemed to come from inside the tunnels. A Hellhound darted across their path, not paying any attention to the small group as it chased a Harpy. Then Theron stopped in his tracks as a Hydra thundered past, chasing the Hellhound. He watched in amusement as the Harpy flew into the air to escape the Hellhound, and an Elder Dragon dived down to grab it in its jaws. The Dragon rose victoriously into the sky, and the Hellhound bounded at the wall of the Cliffs beside Theron, avoiding the Hydra. The Hellhound climbed up the rock face as quickly as it could and Theron continued towards the Shelter.

"Why are there so many monsters here?" Annabeth asked nervously.

Theron was silent as he thought about how to answer the question. "On the surface in savannahs there are waterholes, where creatures gather. The Jagged Cliffs are like one massive waterhole. In the peaks the Elder Dragons nest, this area is also one of the main sources for food as you just saw."

"Why are we here, nephew?" Iapetus asked.

Theron clenched his jaw. "All the monsters here – or most of them – are loyal to me. It is one of the safest places in Tartarus for them to be, Polybotes and the Giants would not dare come here. The Rock Shelter also has one route that leads straight to the Doors of Death." Theron then stopped in front of the entrance of the Rock Shelter and suppressed a smile, "After you, uncle."

Iapetus strode into the tunnels without a word and Theron turned to the demigods. "I will take up the rear and prevent any monsters from following us."

Annabeth and Percy nodded before they followed Iapetus, Theron sighed and followed them, and StormWraith shimmered into existence on his back.

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**Next Chapter - Six Feet Under**

**I heard that your favorite characters reflect what you are like... is it wrong that my favorite characters are Luke and Kronos?**


	20. Six Feet Under

**not a mortal: Im srry for not reviewing i have lots of work to fo the story is great oh and is choas going to be introduced / I don't mind you not reviewing :) but saying that, please don't stop. This isn't a chaos story, he will be mentioned by the Titans and Olympians etc. but he isn't actually in this story... at least of what i have planned in the story so far.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus series.**

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**Chapter 20 - Six Feet Under**

In hindsight, Theron probably should have guessed that his father wouldn't go for the simple traps (like ones for catching rabbits or game). Instead, it had to be so elaborately made that not even Metis (the Titaness of Wisdom) would be able to work out how it happened. And of course, it had to end up with the demigods in a sarcophagus.

The tunnels were completely dark and the demigods only managed to follow Iapetus because his silver hair seemed to catch every little bit of light. Iapetus took every turn without any hesitation, though he seemed to be getting wary as they neared his brethren. Theron was able to easily see, his golden eyes were shining like lamps. Gradually, Theron felt them approaching the Titans lying in wait for them.

Iapetus sped up as they exited the tunnel they were in, obviously sensing that something was about the happen, and emerged into a cavern. Theron slowed down and put more room between him and the demigods. Iapetus quickly disappeared before they could run after him. There were two possible ways Iapetus could have gone.

The Titans had ingeniously used drakon hide so that Theron would be able to sense where the trap was. There was a net made from woven strands of drakon hide that the Titanesses had obviously made as none of the Titans would ever pick up a needle and thread. Then there was the drakon head in a crevice near the top of the cavern, and the pit in the floor that was covered up with drakon hide.

When the demigods were near the pit in the ground, Theron gave a quick thought of dropping the net. Immediately it fell, Theron was able to control it since it used to be part of a monster. The net fell over the demigods and the drakon head rolled off of the ledge it was precariously balanced on. Percy and Annabeth were too occupied with the net smelling weirdly of drakon to notice the skeleton drakon head falling until it crashed to the ground beside them, breaking the floor around them and sending them down into a pit that was – oddly enough – exactly six feet deep. There was a loud crack, luckily not any of the demigods, and the sound of stone scraping on stone.

A few seconds of silence, then laughter from the roof of the cavern, Theron looked up. In the shadows he could make out his uncles laughing from their various places. Then Hyperion ducked out from the crevice where the drakon's head had been. Iapetus suddenly burst into the cavern and looked at his brothers, Theron standing at the edge of the cavern, noticed that Percy and Annabeth had suddenly disappeared and sighed. "I'm assuming you knew about this?" He rumbled.

"Of course," Theron scoffed as he walked into the cavern, "why else do you think I insisted on coming this way?"

"Right, of course," Iapetus muttered, "any other plans I should know about?"

"Not that I am aware of." Theron shrugged and looked up at the ceiling. "Any other plans you have?"

"Apart from getting revenge on Jackson?" Kronos laughed, "None."

Theron tried to supress a smile, but failed, "So, what now?"

"We kill him?" Hyperion asked hopefully.

"We have been over this, Hyperion," Theron sighed, "it was not Jackson's fault that you were turned into a maple tree."

"Brat," Hyperion scowled.

"Light bulb," Theron retorted.

"Traitor," Hyperion growled.

Theron darted straight towards the bottom of the wall that Hyperion was currently leaning over and rammed into it, sending rubble, and Hyperion falling to the floor. Theron glared at Hyperion as he pointed StormWraith at his uncle, "If you say that again I will not hesitate to kill you."

"Son," Kronos sighed, "that must be nearly the hundredth time you have threatened him this week, put StormWraith away."

Theron scowled and reluctantly put StormWraith on his back, feeling the weapon lock into place. "What are we doing with the demigods?"

"Leave them here to rot?" Hyperion suggested, now back on his feet.

Theron shot a glare at his least favourite uncle as Kronos replied, "No, Hyperion, we are taking them back to Othrys with us."

"How are we going to do that?" Krios asked as he jumped off his perch, Koios, Kronos and Oceanus quickly joined him on the ground. "In case you have not noticed, they are going to be heavy to carry."

Theron raised as eyebrow and shuffled to the edge of the six foot deep pit, he sighed and turned to Kronos, "Seriously? A sarcophagus?"

Kronos chuckled, "I thought it was fitting."

"Yes," Theron nodded, "but did you have to use yours? The one you used to reform in during the last war?"

"I spent most of that war getting Jackson to turn against the Olympians and become my host instead of Castellan. If he had been my host he would have been in that sarcophagus."

"Your sense of humour is really twisted, father."

"I think it was a great idea," Oceanus chuckled, "Poseidon's kid in a sarcophagus."

"Well, it is ironic," Theron laughed. He then cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow, turning his attention to the sarcophagus. The Titans looked down into the pit as the lid slowly lifted and a lot of cursing was heard. Then Theron could see Perseus' head as he strained to lift off the lid of the sarcophagus.

"Percy," Annabeth asked, "who was it that did that?"

"I'm trying to see that," Percy said as he managed to lift the lid enough to see out.

Theron chuckled and crouched down so Perseus could see him. "Hello, nephew, how are you feeling?"

"Theron!" Percy yelled, "Let us out!"

"Sorry, Jackson," Theron said, his golden eyes glittering harshly, "I am under strict orders not to."

"Orders from who?" Percy demanded.

"That would be me, grandson," Kronos chuckled, "you see, you caused me quite a lot of problems in the last war. I believe it is time to return the favour."

Percy eyes widened, "The gods said you were too weak to reform, that you could never have a physical body again."

"Tell me, Jackson, when have the gods ever been right?" Kronos growled.

"A lot more often than you," Percy retorted then promptly stopped holding up the lid as if closing it could protect him from the Titans who heard him mutter, "We are massively screwed."

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**Next chapter - Naming Game**

**IMPORTANT PLEASE READ!: I NEED A COVER PHOTOFOR THIS STORY SO IF AMYONE IS GOOD AT DRAWING PLEASE PM ME!**

**I love writing Kronos, i don't know why, but his character is... interesting to say the least. And Rick Riordan didn't actually give us much of Kronos' character other than 'Tear it down brick by brick!', 'Die, Jackson!', and the fact that he hates pegasi and centaurs.**


	21. Naming Game

**not a mortal: Great chapter oh and can tartarus destroy kronos as easy as he killed hyperion an krios / he can destroy Kronos pretty easily, but not a easily as he did with Hyperion and Krios. **

**Disclaimer: i do not own Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus. Do i have to keep writing this?**

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**Chapter 21 - Naming Game**

The trek back to Othrys ad taken several hours longer than the Titans had expected, mainly because Kronos had volunteered Hyperion and Theron to carry _his _sarcophagus in a futile hope that they would actually be able to work together for once.

Instead, Theron had decided to irregularly drop his end of the sarcophagus, crushing his fellow Titan Lord and making said Titan Lord start cursing at him. What amused the Titans most was when Percy and Annabeth joined in, cussing Theron to high Hades and back for making the sarcophagus suddenly drop.

There was also the problem of Jackson himself. He couldn't go a minute without saying something insulting about one of the Titans near him. His favourite victims were Theron, Kronos, and Oceanus. All three for understandable reasons: Theron had led them straight into a trap, Kronos had started a war which had lasted around five year of Percy's life, and Oceanus had tried to kill his father. After the first hour Theron began to lose track of the amount of death threats said to Percy and Annabeth, and the various ones said by the two demigods.

"You need to get the inside of this thing cleaned out, grandpa," Percy's muffled voice sounded and several Titans groaned, "It's very smelly in here." There was the sound of someone smacking something, followed by Percy yelling, "Ow! That hurt, Annabeth, I didn't mean you. I was talking about the remains of Kronos that are at the bottom. Hey, Bob, could you clean it?"

By now most of the Titans were laughing, but Kronos scowled and gestured to Theron. The Prince happily let go of the front of the sarcophagus and stepped to the side. Percy, Annabeth, and Hyperion's curses echoed around as the Titans laughed even harder.

They had been travelling at a steady run for over six hours when they saw Othrys. The fourteen towers were in the inner structure and each one was a council member's own area. There was a wall around the fortress, and the outer layer had all of the training arenas and target ranges for archers. There were thick gates that lifted to allow the Titans' Army into the fortress spaced with one on each of the four sides. The keep stood above everything else with the fourteen towers reaching up to the top of Tartarus.

As the Titans approached as cry went up from the wall and the gate was raised to allow them entry. Theron handed the sarcophagus to Krios and stepped forward so he was beside Kronos. Theron was the Titans' monster traffic controller. No monster dared to come within fifteen feet of him and gave the group of Titans a wide birth. Even though the smell of Perseus and Annabeth was very tempting for them, very few of the monsters had killed a demigod recently and Theron had to glare at any that moved an inch so they wouldn't rush forward.

Hyperion grumbled about having to carry the sarcophagus the whole way as they approached the inner layer of Othrys. In the inner layer there were Titans waiting for them. Theron could see Atlas smiling wickedly as he imagined getting revenge on Perseus. The Titans that had met Perseus all wanted revenge on various things, but most of the others didn't really care what happened to the demigods. The only thing Theron didn't want to happen was them dying, anything else he was fine with. He figured it would put a strain on his relationship with Poseidon if the sea god's favourite son died under his watch.

When they reached the throne room, the council members sat down in their respective seats, and Hyperion and Krios lowered the sarcophagus to the ground before also sitting down in their thrones. Kronos reclined back as he waited for the two demigods to decide to get out of the sarcophagus. Theron's senses were higher than the average Titan's, because of his domain of hunting, so he was the only one that could hear the whispered conversation between the demigods.

"We get out, and run straight for the door," Annabeth whispered, "it should be behind us, and I didn't hear it shut. Then we find the way out of here, agreed?"

"Where is here exactly?" Percy asked in a slightly louder whisper, "I mean, for all we know we might be in a storage cabinet. How do we know there is anyone here either?"

"We don't know any of that, Seaweed Brain. We are in a golden sarcophagus." Annabeth murmured, "Ready?"

"Not really," Percy muttered.

"On three…" Annabeth said, "One, two-"

"Three," Percy said and the two demigods pushed the lid off, it clattered to the floor and Kronos winced.

"It is a wooden box painted golden, father," Theron deadpanned, "not pure gold."

"And?" Kronos raised an eyebrow, "I spent several millennia in that wooden box."

Theron's ears caught the sound of feet running on the ground and he quickly looked at the demigods to see them nearly at the door. He raised a hand and a gust of wind slammed the doors shut just before the demigods reached them. Percy and Annabeth turned around, taking out their weapons. Riptide was clenched in Percy's right hand and Annabeth's new drakon bone sword was in her right hand. They froze when they saw the fourteen Titans looking at them.

"Um…" Percy stuttered, "Hello." Riptide wavered in his hand. "I don't suppose you could open the door for us?"

Several of the Titans laughed and Koios said amusedly, "You think we would trap you, bring you here to Othrys and then just let you go?"

"Yes," Percy said hopefully.

"If you can name all of us, maybe," Koios said and several Titans laughed.

"Um… Okay," Percy said, "You're Theron; you're Iapetus, Hyperion, Rhea, and Annabeth… help me here." He looked at Annabeth for help, but she was in a daze as she looked at the throne room.

"The architecture here is amazing," she muttered in shock, "this room is twice as big as the Olympian throne room."

"Annabeth, I need some help here," Percy nudged her arm and she quickly snapped back into focus.

"Anyone else you recognise, Jackson? Or is that it?" Koios interrupted.

Percy looked straight at Koios, noting how his silver eyes gleamed like he was about to give Percy detention for not getting A* in a test. "Silver eyes, Artemis," Percy muttered, "You're Koios, Artemis and Apollo's grandfather."

"Yes," Koios nodded though he didn't look happy when Percy had mentioned his two grandchildren, "and if you are going to figure out the rest of the grandparents first, there are several more of us you should be able to name."

Annabeth had caught onto what was happening and pointed at Oceanus, "You're Oceanus, I remember you from when you visited Camp Half-Blood."

Most of the council turned to look at Oceanus. "You willingly visited Camp Half-Brat?" Hyperion demanded incredulously.

"The Kraken was out of control again," Oceanus explained.

"He was more than out of control!" Theron exclaimed, "He tore my armour to pieces, I spent days repairing it!"

Percy and Annabeth looked at the Titans they had yet to name, avoiding catching a certain one's gaze. Whilst the Titans were arguing, Kronos was staring straight at Percy and the demigods were aware of the Titan King's eyes locked onto them.

"He must be Krios," Annabeth muttered as she gestured at said Titan who was currently arguing with Koios.

"How can you be sure?"

"Because he is the only male we haven't named yet, Seaweed Brain, and both of us know who the other one is, don't we?"

"If you mean the one staring at us, then yes," Percy whispered, "have I got something on my face or something?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes and looked at the female Titans, "That's Phoebe, Tethys, Theia, and Themis."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I study, Seaweed Brain, have you got any more stupid questions?"

"Just one," Percy muttered, "should we make a run for it whilst they are distracted?"

"The door is shut," Annabeth said, "run where?"

"Good point," Percy frowned, and Riptide was still clutched in his hand.

"One of the remaining Titanesses is Eurybia, the other is Mnemosyne." Annabeth said, "But I don't know who is which."

"That's Eurybia," Percy said pointing with Riptide's pen form.

"How can you tell?" Annabeth's eyes were furrowed as she looked between the two Titanesses.

"A gut feeling," Percy said firmly.

"She is the Titaness of Sea's Force." Annabeth muttered, "Maybe you can sense beings that are connected to the sea."

"Maybe," Percy murmured and looked at the Titans who were still arguing, "They're almost as bad as the gods."

"All of you, shut up!" A voice roared, "Sit down! As Jackson just said, we are almost as bad as the gods!"

"My apologies, Theron," Koios said as he sat back down in his throne. The other Titans mumbled, but sat down too.

"Now, Jackson, Chase," Theron said, "would you like to share the discussion you two had with the council?"

"You're Krios," Annabeth said nodding at the Titan, Krios inclined his head in acknowledgment. "Uh… you're Phoebe, Tethys, Theia, Themis, Mnemosyne and Eurybia."

"That is thirteen members, demigods," Koios said, "and unfortunately for you, we have fourteen."

Percy shut his eyes for a second and then looked straight at the last member of the council, "And Kronos, who is possibly the worst being ever to be born."

Kronos reclined back into his throne and chuckled, "I do not think you are in the position to be insulting any being here, Jackson."

Percy gritted his teeth and uncapped Riptide. The celestial bronze weapon sprang to its full length. Annabeth grabbed her drakon bone sword and held in out in front of her. Immediately all of the Titans summoned their weapons to hand, either lying across their laps or resting against their thrones.

"You are either insanely foolish, or stupidly brave to take your weapons out in a room full of beings that wouldn't hesitate to cut you in half," Kronos laughed then glanced at the two council members on either side of him, "or most of them would not hesitate. I suppose I should thank the spider for dragging you two down here."

"Arachne," Theron interjected.

"You know," Percy said, "you two could be twins. You look almost exactly the same, but Theron is a bit shorter than you and his hair isn't as curly."

"I _am _his son, Jackson." Theron said dryly, "And that is one reason I am surprised you trusted me so easily."

"You were our friend in the last war, I thought you wouldn't have changed so much once you had recovered your memories," Annabeth growled, "though now I see that Titans can and will never change. Gaea is ravaging the world above, mortals are in panic, Olympus is going to be destroyed, and all of you just _sit here_ waiting for something to happen. In your safe little fortress that has a big enough army to easily bring Olympus to its knees, are you not going to join in the war?"

"What you do not seem to realise, daughter of Athena," Kronos snarled, "is that we are also at war! As for Olympus, Gaea can destroy it for all I care, and then the gods will come down here. If Gaea comes to destroy us after she is finished with Olympus, then she will be weakened enough for us to defeat her, and then we can once again rule over the surface."

"You're all planning on just sitting here, then?" Annabeth shouted, "You're all cowards! At least do something other than wait for Gaea to come here herself!"

"Annabeth," Percy muttered as he took in all the furious Titans looking at them, "maybe you should tone it down a little. You're not really helping our chances for surviving."

"Surviving?" Kronos asked and his golden eyes glittered sharply, "I am afraid that your chances are much smaller than you realise, grandson."

* * *

**Next Chapter - Fighting Titans**

**Percy and Annabeth are in trouble! Annabeth has insulted the Titans, which will never go down well with them, and Percy is being... Percy.**


	22. Fighting Titans

**Disclaimer: I do not own Heroes of Olympus**

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**Chapter 22 - Fighting Titans**

Theron watched the two demigods in front of him with mixed emotions. More than half of his emotions wanted to see them punished in some way. The remainder of him sympathized with them. It must have been a shocking few days for them, falling into Tartarus and almost dying dozens of times, then being led into a trap and taken to Othrys.

"Surviving?" Kronos asked and his golden eyes glittered sharply, "I am afraid that your chances are much smaller than you realise, grandson."

Percy dry swallowed. "You don't have to put yourself through any trouble for us," he managed to force the words out; "we won't be offended."

"You will not be offended," Hyperion scowled as he rested his hand on the hilt of his golden sword, "but we already are, so I am casting my vote forward."

"Let me guess," Theron said dryly, "you want them killed."

"Of course," Hyperion scoffed, "most of us do."

"I vote for capture," Iapetus said sharply.

Koios leaned forward, "I vote for their death."

"As do I," Krios said.

Oceanus inspected Percy for a few seconds before saying, "Capture."

"I vote for capture," Phoebe said softly.

Rhea looked at the demigods sadly, "I vote for their release." Several of the Titans laughed at Rhea's vote.

"Capture," Themis said.

"I agree with Themis, Iapetus, Phoebe, and Oceanus," Tethys said, "Capture."

"Death," Theia said.

"I also vote for death," Eurybia said as she glared at the demigods.

"I vote for capture," Mnemosyne said.

With every Titan that said they wanted Percy and Annabeth dead, the half-bloods paled. The Titans turned to Kronos and Theron, who were the last ones to vote. Five Titans wanted the demigods dead, six wanted them captured, and Rhea wanted them released.

"Death," Kronos said.

All of the Titans turned to Theron who was watching the demigods with dark golden eyes, something in them made Annabeth and Percy shift nervously. The son of Kronos thought carefully, whatever he chose there were going to be consequences.

_You are a Titan, Theron._ He scolded himself and looked Percy in the eyes. "I vote for their death."

There was shocked silence around the throne room as the Titans looked at Theron speechlessly. Theron sat up straight and evenly met the looks of his aunts and uncles. Riptide's point wavered in the air as Percy registered what had been said. He and Annabeth were going to be put to death. The Titans were going to kill them. They had gone nearly all the way through Tartarus, only to be killed when they were so close to the Doors of Death.

Kronos was the first Titan to snap out of his astonishment and looked at his son in a new light. He turned to the demigods standing in from of the door and inspected them as if he was wondering where to hang their heads and if he should broadcast their deaths to Olympus or not.

Percy raised Riptide in a defensive stance and set his back to the door with his shoulder touching Annabeth's who was holding her new drakon bone sword defiantly. "We've not come this far to be taken down by you!" Annabeth yelled.

Kronos laughed and stood up, shrinking so he was at their height, but that didn't make him any less terrifying. His golden eyes still glittered sharply. "I do not think you have a choice in the matter, demigods."

Theron slid off his throne and shrank, along with all of the other male Titans – their sisters stayed in their thrones. Percy and Annabeth looked warily at the seven beings arrayed against them. Percy stepped forward, effectively putting Annabeth behind him as they waited for the first Titan to move.

Hyperion was the first to charge, closely followed by Krios. Percy's mind went on autopilot and he sidestepped Hyperion's downward swing and attacked. He quickly realised that the Titan relied on strength and had next to no agility. Percy dodged all of Hyperion's attacks as Annabeth fought Krios. Percy waited for the right time, carefully judging when he would have to make his move. As Hyperion cut at Percy's chest, the son of Poseidon ducked and slashed at Hyperion's armour. Riptide cut straight through the metal and into Hyperion's chest, the Titan fell back and glared at Percy then closed in with startling speed. Percy's eyes widened and be blocked the weapon with Riptide. Immediately he felt Hyperion's muscles tense as he started to press down, Percy was being pushed back easily, his feet were slipping back across the floor.

Then Hyperion started to move in slow motion and Kronos called, "You were beaten, Hyperion, back off." Hyperion growled under his breath, but turned and stalked towards his throne. Percy looked at Annabeth to see she was panting, not used to using a sword, but looked fine as she tripped Krios up and stabbed down towards, only to hit the ground as Krios rolled out of the way. Kronos then told Krios to get back to his throne.

"You have gotten better, demigods," Kronos acknowledged. "Oceanus, Koios, you are next."

Oceanus stepped forward, though Percy could see he didn't really want to. Koios started towards Percy, but Oceanus quickly shoved him towards Annabeth and made his way towards Percy himself. He was leisurely swinging his silver sword in his hand as he approached. He attacked and Percy rolled to the side, cutting at the eldest Titan's side. Oceanus quickly parried away the attack and struck, though Percy easily had enough time to block. As they traded blows, Percy could easily tell Oceanus wasn't trying his hardest. He kept leaving holes in his defence that Percy could easily capitalise on. Percy assumed they were purposefully left, but when Oceanus and he locked swords Percy could see that the Titan was easily as strong as Hyperion. Yet, Oceanus barely forced Percy back. Percy twisted to the side and unlocked their weapons before lunging forwards and driving Riptide through the Titan's armour. He quickly drew back and waited for Oceanus to attack him in a rage like Hyperion had, but the eldest Titan chuckled and lowered his weapon. He then turned his back on Percy and walked back to his throne Kronos watched him go with a raised eyebrow. Iapetus had snuck back to his throne whilst they were fighting and was toying with his spear tip.

Koios fought properly, unlike Oceanus. Annabeth was still fighting, trying to use tactics, but Koios wasn't the Titan of Intellect, Farsight, and Knowledge for nothing. Everything Annabeth tried was met by Koios' sword, and she was backed right up to the door as far as she could go. Percy rushed to help her and attacked Koios. The Titan flicked his wrist and parried away Percy's attack then turned to Annabeth and kicked her back. Percy furiously attacked as Annabeth recovered, shaking her head to shake off the pain of being kicked by a Titan who was nearly at full strength. Koios and Percy fought across the throne room, back and forth. Percy was grazed several times by Koios' sword, but luckily never took a direct hit. Percy ducked under Koios' sword and tried to slash at his chest, but Koios had already moved out of the way. Percy realised that since Koios was the Titan of Farsight and had the ability to know where Percy was going to attack even before Percy did himself. He took a deep breath and charged, Koios laughed as Percy approached, but then hesitated slightly. Percy was preparing himself to do different things: slide between his legs, hack at his chest, ram straight into him, and chop his stupid head off. Koios frowned, but looked straight into Percy's eyes as if searching for something. Percy leapt straight through the air towards the Titan. Koios smiled slightly and prepared himself to knock the son of Poseidon out of the air. Then Percy stretched out his hand and concentrated, there was a tug in his gut then one of the veins of Tartarus on the floor exploded. Koios cursed and stumbled back as water from the Lethe erupted from the ground in front of him. Percy tumbled straight through the geyser, managing to stay dry, and stabbed Koios in the chest.

Koios' eyes widened, then started glowing a silver colour, Percy's eyes widened as Koios flicked his wrist. A wave of energy erupted from Koios, sending Percy flying back to slam into the door. Koios scowled and pulled Riptide from his chest, golden ichor started flowing like a waterfall.

"Koios," Kronos called, "you were beaten, get back to your throne."

Koios growled, but stalked back to his throne and summoned a piece of Ambrosia. Percy was breathing heavily as he looked at Theron and Kronos, Annabeth was standing beside him. Riptide returned to Percy from where Koios was examining the blade, Percy quickly took the weapon out and uncapped it.

"Catch, Jackson," Theron called and tossed something through the air. Percy caught it and saw six squares of Ambrosia. He gave three to Annabeth and ate the rest, feeling himself get really hot and start to steam. He figured they were going to need a lot of energy for the next fight.

"Who do you want to take on, son?" Kronos asked as he took his scythe off his back.

"Can I choose both?" Theron shrugged.

"That would be unfair on me," Kronos shook his head, "but I suppose we could both fight the two of them."

The Titans were leaning forward on their thrones, most of them watching excitedly. "Well," Percy said, "we are just wasting time talking. Can we get onto the fighting?"

"I believe for once we agree on something, Jackson," Kronos chuckled. Percy frowned and readied Riptide. StormWraith was still resting on Theron's back and the Prince looked like he had no intention to remove it any time soon.

Percy lifted Riptide and yelled a battle cry that probably sounded like, 'AHHH!' He then ran at the two Titans, Annabeth at his side.

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**Next chapter - Indecision **

**I still need a cover photo so _please_ PM me if you want a go at making one or know someone that could.**

**And i have decided to post up three or more chapters on Christmas day, so tell me how many you want.**


	23. Indecision

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson**

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**Chapter 23 - Indecision **

Percy charged at Theron, but Kronos stopped him halfway and swung his scythe, Percy hit the floor to avoid the weapon. Theron moved to fight Annabeth and punched out at her, Annabeth ducked the attack and was about to cut at his feet, but he swiftly attacked again. After only a minute, Annabeth understood why Theron was respected amongst the Titans. He seemed to be toying with her, a smirk on his face as he used his hand to knock away the flat of her blade and tripped her up. He stood with his hands by his side as he waited for Annabeth to get back to her feet.

Percy wasn't having any more luck with Kronos than Annabeth was with Theron. Kronos had changed his scythe into Backbiter, the sword that Luke had used, and wielded it like a natural. Backbiter was four feet long, one foot longer than Riptide and Kronos used that to his advantage. Percy knew that one touch from the sword could possibly sever his soul from his body and concentrated on avoiding the weapon whenever it came close to him. Kronos seemed to be having incredible fun as he fought Percy and was turning the edge of his sword so that he wouldn't cut him, just bruise him.

Annabeth caught Percy's eye across the room as they fought the Titans, he nodded slightly. Annabeth shifted slightly to the left and Percy moved to the right. The Titans continued pushing them back, and minutes later the demigods were back to back. Percy struggled to block Kronos' attacks as he left a gap in his defence, hoping that Kronos would notice and attack it. Percy held his sword low, leaving his upper body free to attack. His arm was trembling as he blocked the Titan Lord's sword. Theron still wasn't using StormWraith and hadn't been hit by Annabeth's drakon bone sword yet.

Then Percy saw his chance, Kronos swung Backbiter towards his head. If Percy hadn't been waiting for it, his head would have been rolling on the floor. He pulled Annabeth down with him as he ducked and Backbiter headed straight towards Theron. Backbiter would have sheared straight through his neck, but Annabeth underestimated how fast he was. Theron's eyes glowed golden and time slowed, giving the Prince enough time to summon StormWraith. The weapon formed spreading out from his hands. He hurriedly blocked Backbiter five inches from his throat. From the force of Kronos' swing Theron stumbled back a few paces. Annabeth darted forward and plunged her sword into his knee cap then quickly withdrew it and readied herself in case she needed to do it again. The Titan's knee buckled underneath him and he slid down onto one knee. He grimaced slightly and glared at Annabeth.

"Have the gods taught you nothing, Annabeth?" Theron growled.

"They've taught me lots of things," Annabeth retorted.

"What about challenging an immortal in their own domain?" Theron asked.

"You-"

"I am the Titan of Monsters, Miss Chase," Theron smirked, "and pray tell, what is Tartarus?"

Annabeth stabbed her drakon bone sword into his right shoulder, making him drop StormWraith as he started to rise. "That may be, but I can still kill you." She heard the clatter of metal on the ground behind her, closely followed by a short cry of pain, but she didn't dare take her eyes off Theron.

"You did not answer my question." Theron said, "What do you think Tartarus is?"

"The place where monsters go when they're dead, which explains why all of you are here. Except for you, Rhea," Annabeth said.

"Should I be offended?" Theron asked mockingly and Annabeth watched as his eyes slid past her and rested on what was happening behind her. "A little higher, father," he advised, "it looks like you have swept him off his feet and are about to kiss him." Theron grinned and Annabeth made a gagging noise. There was the sound of a brief scuffle then Theron laughed, "Not that much, great positioning if you wanted to crush his head though."

"It does not help that he is struggling." Kronos grunted, "For the love of Gaea, Jackson! Stop struggling!"

"If you think I'm just going to let you put me in a headlock that you must be mistaking me for someone else," Percy retorted. Kronos hit Percy on the back of the head, making his vision swim with pain, and adjusted his position. Annabeth turned around to look. Kronos had Percy in a perfect headlock and Riptide was on the floor several yards away. Theron took his chance, lunging towards Annabeth whilst she was distracted and knocking her feet out from under her. Annabeth's head slammed against the ground and she saw stars. By the time her vision cleared, Theron was on his feet and his trident was resting on her chest. He turned his attention to the sword still in his shoulder and grabbed the hilt with his left hand, then quickly pulled the blade out of himself. He stabbed the weapon into the ground where only its hilt protruded from the skin of Tartarus.

"Theron," Kronos said, "you are out."

Theron frowned at Kronos for a few seconds then shrugged and grinned down at Annabeth. "I am assuming you want me to apologise for leading you two into a trap?"

"I can't believe you!" Annabeth yelled, "What happened to the immortal that was on Olympus after he had killed Kronos?"

Theron scowled, "That leads back to the First Olympian War, Annabeth-"

"Olympian War?" Percy asked from his position in a headlock.

"What you call the Titanomachy." Theron said dismissively, "As I was saying, the answer to your question, Annabeth, leads back to the First Olympian War. After I had… subdued Kronos, my siblings decided that since I am a Titan they could not trust me. They tied me up and forced me to watch as they slaughtered my cousins, aunts, and uncles, put Atlas under the sky, and cut up my father into thousands of pieces. Everything that Othrys stood for was torn down in an instant and its true attributes were twisted by the gods through time."

"Kronos played with the lives of mortals!" Annabeth argued, "You call that being a good ruler?"

"The gods send you on quests and laugh as they sit on Olympus and watch you die." Theron said harshly, "What would you rather? Die a long and painful death, or one without feeling it because it is so fast?"

The demigods stayed quiet and Kronos chuckled, "If the Greeks and Romans are two sides of one coin, Olympus and Othrys are also. We represent unity, honour, obedience, and warriors. Olympus represents division, trickery, disobedience, and healers."

"There needs to be balance between our two pantheons, both of us on the surface at once," Theron said.

"You were terrible rulers though!" Annabeth exclaimed.

"And the gods have said that, we would say we were just," Kronos said.

"The gods put all of us down with Kronos' mistake of eating his other children." Theron said, "We did what any beings would do when they are threatened, we marched to war. When I say marched to war, I do not mean the small, flimsy army that Olympus has now. I mean tens of thousands of beings that all fight for us because they want to, not because they are forced to." He paused slightly, "Would Zeus have told you that he electrocuted me until I died? What about when Demeter crushed Iapetus using vines?"

"You were tyrants!" Annabeth cried, "You had to be stopped!"

"Let me guess," Theron said dryly, "the gods told you that? History is written by the victors, Miss Chase. If we had won the first war than everything would be different. Mortals would not be gradually destroying the world and would be united under one ruler."

"What if they don't want to be under your rule?" Percy asked, "What will you do then?"

"We would leave them to their fates," Theron said.

"What if they were being attacked?" Annabeth asked, "Would you help them?"

Theron cocked his head to the side like the question intrigued him, "Should we if they are not our subjects? It would remove an opposing nation, is that not good?"

"That is the difference between the gods and Titans," Annabeth said, "the gods would help, you wouldn't." Theron looked down at her curiously as she continued, "The gods may not be the best rulers we could ask for, but they know when to help and when to not. You are possibly the worst Titan of all, not because of the hundreds of demigods you have probably slaughtered in cold blood or because you are the Titan of Monsters. You tricked the whole of Olympus at the end of the last war, everyone up there trusts you now, and you're down here waiting out the war above until Gaea destroys Olympus. You led Percy and I into a trap shamelessly, and have no concerns about constantly tricking Olympus."

"It has been a long time since someone has spoken to me like that, daughter of Athena," Theron rumbled.

"Son," Kronos interrupted, "send them to the dungeons."

Theron nodded and crouched down beside Annabeth. "Unlucky for you, I am a Titan who hates Olympus and will stay that way for the foreseeable future." He placed a hand on her chest and she erupted into Greek fire. When the fire went out she was gone.

"Annabeth!" Percy yelled and started struggling against Kronos even more.

Theron grinned and stalked towards his nephew. "I always do what is best for Othrys, Jackson, you had best remember that." He placed his hand on Percy's chest and fire travelled him to the dungeons. Riptide shimmered before returning to Percy's pocket, Theron strode over to Annabeth's sword and fire travelled it to the demigods.

"That was fun," Theron grinned as he looked at his father.

"Council dismissed," Kronos said as he turned Backbiter back to his scythe and flashed out.

"Son," Rhea said, "I wish to speak with you."

Theron frowned and nodded. The Titans flashed out with various looks at the Prince. Oceanus and Iapetus glared at him, Hyperion and Koios smirked. Theron turned to Rhea, "Yes, Mother?"

The Titaness looked at him sadly, "You must take care to not let your hatred at Olympus rule over you. If you do you shall likely become like your father."

"What is bad about that?" Theron asked warily.

"He only thinks about what will anger Olympus and nothing else. He did not heed my warning about his anger in the First Olympian War, look where we ended up," Rhea gestured to the throne room, "in Tartarus. I am not saying it is completely his fault. All of us are to blame, but you must control your anger. Do not let it control you."

"I am controlling it, mother," Theron said.

"Is sentencing two demigods to death when they did what they were taught really controlling your anger?" Rhea asked gently, "Think about it, son."

"They are our enemies," Theron insisted, "they fight for Olympus."

"I do not wish for you to become another Kronos, having one of him around is enough. Your father is paranoid. Too much hate against Olympus rests inside him. He cannot think clearly, that is why you must look past your hatred. Good rulers look past their differences and think about the good of their subjects. Your father used to be excellent at that, until your siblings were born."

Theron mulled over what Rhea had said before looking her in the eyes and squaring his shoulders. "I will try, mother."

"Good," Rhea smiled, "you are one of the few beings your father rarely is truly mad at. He listens to you even more than he does to Oceanus, our eldest brother. Your opinion is valued on and off the council, son, do not misuse the responsibilities." Theron nodded and Rhea asked, "What do you intend to do now?"

"Have a talk with Oceanus and Iapetus, I think we need to plan something," Theron grinned.

"Tell me what you decide, and I will help." Rhea smiled.

"It reminds me of the First Olympian War," Theron said mischievously. "When we were going behind Kronos' back and helping the gods."

"Be careful, son," Rhea said gently, "if Kronos hears of this then he will likely punish you."

Theron shrugged, "What more can he do now? Besides, who knows? Maybe we will be able to return to our actual home after this war."

"One can only hope," Rhea said quietly. Theron flashed her a quick grin and fire travelled out of the throne room to find his two uncles.

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**Next chapter: Plans**

**I NEED a cover for this story (and The Crooked One's Rise) so please PM me.**


	24. Plans

**Still no reviews? Maybe i should go on a hiatus until i have some... **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus.**

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**Chapter 24 - Plans**

Theron found Oceanus and Iapetus in the training arena. It was no surprise to him that they would be there and taking their anger out on the training dummies, and occasionally each other. It wasn't a surprise when they glared at him either.

"I know the two of you are mad at me," Theron said cautiously as he approached them. Both his uncles had their weapons out, and Theron knew from experience that they could inflict a lot of damage with one strike.

"Mad?" Oceanus asked, "We are confused, not mad. You can go from helping Olympus to trying to destroy it in minutes. You are almost as bad as Kronos and Saturn's split personalities."

"I do not have different Greek and Roman aspects," Theron said firmly.

"Maybe not," Iapetus scowled, "but you might as well have." The Titan stabbed a training dummy in the stomach and ripped his spear up, tearing off its head and effectively disembowelling it. Oceanus grinned and not one to be outdone by any of his younger brothers, he stabbed the dummy in the gut and ripped his sword to one side. The dummy tilted and one of its legs fell to the floor, Oceanus stabbed it through the neck and twisted the blade of his silver sword. Its head was ripped off.

"It looks like you are very mad with me," Theron noted as he looked at the severed heads.

"We do not understand you, nephew," Oceanus sighed. "How you can help the demigods then vote for their death is beyond my understanding."

"I have spent seven decades with Hades and the gods," Theron said quietly. "It is messing with my thoughts."

Iapetus frowned, "Find the line between Othrys and Olympus and stay on it. Stop falling to either side. That is what I have done." He impaled a dummy through the stomach and pulled his spear out, moving to another one.

Theron had to remind himself that Iapetus' memories had been taken by Jackson in the last war. "Thank you, uncle," he said gratefully.

"Why did you seek us out then, nephew?" Oceanus asked, "I highly doubt you just wanted to talk to us."

"Can you meet me in my tower in an hour?" Theron asked after making sure that no one was around them, "Without telling anyone."

"If you want our help in a prank the answer is no, nephew," Oceanus scowled as he chopped the head off of another dummy.

"Actually," Theron grinned, "I wanted your help in getting the demigods out of Tartarus." Oceanus was so surprised he missed the neck of the dummy by two inches and ended up impaling the air.

"You are the one that put them in the dungeons in the first place, nephew. Now you want them out?" Oceanus asked warily.

"Okay," Theron muttered, "maybe I do have an alter ego."

"No, you do not, nephew, otherwise you would be arguing with yourself like Kronos is." Oceanus grinned.

"He hates the Romans even more than some of the gods," Iapetus laughed.

Theron smiled and watched as Oceanus effortlessly severed the limbs of the next dummy in line. Iapetus frowned when he realised they had destroyed the entire row. "What now? They will not rebuild themselves for at least another hour."

Oceanus smirked and moved to attack his brother. Iapetus' eyes narrowed and he blocked the silver sword heading towards his neck. Oceanus quickly pulled away and struck again, trying to chop off Iapetus' legs. Theron grinned and summoned his armour, StormWraith appeared in his hand. He waited as his two uncles fought back and forth, then Oceanus pushed Iapetus towards Theron. StormWraith was swung into the back of Iapetus' legs and the Titan toppled over. Theron smirked as he pointed his weapon at Iapetus' neck.

"Unfair!" Iapetus exclaimed, "That is cheating!"

Theron grinned, and then suddenly dived to the side. Iapetus rolled over as Oceanus' sword shot through where their nephew was a second before and slammed into the ground. Iapetus used to roll as momentum to get back onto his feet. The three Titans looked at each other for several seconds before Oceanus moved to attack Theron who attack Iapetus who attacked Oceanus. Theron sidestepped as Oceanus tried to stab him, Iapetus had to stall his attack on his brother to block a trident coming down on his head. Theron kicked away Iapetus and turned to attack his other uncle. A blast of light shot towards Theron from the surrounding area, the son of Kronos ducked under the energy. A battle cry echoed around them as Hyperion hefted his sword and joined in. Soon after Hyperion, Krios bounded towards them swinging his spear. Oceanus scowled and charged to meet Hyperion. Theron grinned and threw StormWraith at Krios. When Krios dodged the weapon Theron held out his hand and it returned to him, almost knocking Krios over.

"Theron," Oceanus yelled in annoyance, "I thought I told you never throw away your weapon!"

"You did," Theron grinned as he ducked Krios' spear and spun, slamming the shaft of StormWraith down on his uncle's back as he passed by. Arrows started raining down on them from above as Lelantos decided to join in. Several of them lodged in the top of Theron's helm. Perses was next to join the fight, yelling at the top of his lungs and charging to meet Iapetus head on. Koios soon joined Krios in playing 'beat up the nephew' very badly.

Koios' attacks were calculated and carefully placed, whilst Krios was more concentrated on pummelling Theron as hard as he could. Their combined effort was forcing Theron back until another of his cousins joined in. Atlas barrelled into Krios and hacked away, forcing Krios to turn his attention away from Theron and towards the Titan of Strength and Endurance. Menoetius charged in, bellowing at the top of his lungs and started trying to attack Lelantos who was hovering just out of reach. Next it was Astraeus who ran straight into Oceanus and Hyperion who were fighting with their powers and weapons. Lelantos fired half a dozen arrows straight at Menoetius, most of them stuck out of his armour like spikes. Prometheus and Epimetheus strolled out of Othrys to see what was happening and once they saw all of the Titans fighting, they promptly turned around and fast-walked back into the keep. Some of Lelantos' arrows thudded against the doors as they slammed shut.

Perses gave up in training the army since they were gawking at the fighting Titans and joined in himself. Theron glanced up towards the keeps since he had seen a golden flash and saw Kronos watching from his balcony. The Prince then decided that Kronos needed some stress relief and sent a Greek fireball straight towards him. Koios darted forward and cut at Theron's chest plate. Theron flinched as he felt his uncle's sword cut into him. Then golden ichor welled up in the tear in his armour. He felt his Titan Instincts take over and charged at his uncle. Koios' eyes took on a red tint as he readied himself and ran towards Theron.

The two Titans met with a shower of sparks, their weapons locked with inches between them. Koios used his advantage of an extra foot of height and pushed his nephew back, Theron's armoured boots slipped as he tried to dig them into the ground to stop Koios from forcing him back. Theron ducked away and to the side, Koios stumbled forward at the sudden loss of resistance. Theron swung StormWraith parallel to the ground and Koios let out a pained cry as the weapon connected with his shin. The Titan of Intellect performed a front-flip and landed on his back with a heavy thud. Theron slammed the shaft of his weapon into Koios' forehead and knocked him unconscious.

The Prince of Othrys looked around for another opponent, but all of the Titans were either still fighting or knocked out. Astraeus had been knocked out almost immediately by Oceanus and Hyperion who had been annoyed with his interference. Krios had been beaten by Atlas and was crumpled on the ground. Menoetius had several dozen arrows sticking out of him and was lying in a pool of his own ichor.

The air split behind Theron and he threw himself forward into a roll, jumping to his feet and turning to block another attack towards his neck. He strained against the blade and scowled when he saw the Titan wielding it.

"Have I really annoyed you that much recently?" Theron paused, "Actually, do not answer that. How did you get down here so quickly?"

"I jumped," Kronos smirked and suddenly disappeared, Theron's eyes widened and he ducked as Backbiter split the air above him.

"Unfair!" Theron exclaimed, "No powers!"

"I did not send a fireball towards you," Kronos disagreed, "you started it."

Theron grinned and swung StormWraith towards the Titan King. Kronos deflected the edge of the trident away from him and flicked Backbiter up. Theron knew exactly what Kronos' fighting style was, but it didn't help very much. Kronos wasn't the strongest Titan, and neither was he the fastest but, he made up for it by living up to his title of 'The Crooked One'. Kronos relied upon using the area around the fight to his advantage, backing his opponent into corners or tripping them up over rocks. He fought like Koios, carefully aiming every attack for maximum damage. It was one reason by most Titans didn't want to fight him – they never knew what he was going to do. Theron, however, knew Kronos more than he knew his way around Tartarus and considering that he was the Titan of Monsters and Tartarus was his domain, he had no problems with fighting his father. Kronos backed Theron up towards Iapetus and Perses then waited as his son had to defend himself against the two Titans that set their sights on him. Theron ducked under Perses' greatsword and tripped his cousin up; Iapetus happily knocked the fallen Titan out then ran to attack Lelantos who was flying by random Titans and attacking them with his daggers. Theron grinned and turned back to Kronos. He raised his hand and sent a blast of Greek fire at him. Kronos dived out of the way and the fire caught Lelantos who was flying past. Theron smiled slightly and looked at Kronos meaningfully, the Titan King nodded and Theron charged him intending to drive him back a few feet into the path of Atlas. Once Theron judged that Kronos was close enough, he nodded his head slightly. Kronos immediately shifted his grip on Backbiter into an ice-pick grip and stabbed behind him. Atlas cried out in surprise as a glowing sword shot out of the front of his armour and Kronos punched him in the back of the head, knocking him out. Theron charged towards his three remaining uncles and looked back at Kronos to see that he had completely disappeared. He mentally shrugged and stabbed Hyperion in the back with StormWraith.

"That was for calling me a traitor," Theron growled in his uncle's ear and swiftly kicked Hyperion off the end of his weapon. Hyperion landed face first on the ground and Theron grinned as he looked at Oceanus and Iapetus. The three Titans charged at each other yelling a battle cry, Theron ducked under Iapetus' spear and flicked the end of his weapon to the side. The spear point in the butt of his trident impaled Iapetus' foot. Oceanus took the opportunity and hacked at Theron's chest only to have Theron dive to the side and hold his hand out. StormWraith flew back to its master and Theron grinned as Iapetus cursed him.

"That was fun… shall we go again?" Theron taunted.

"Brat," Iapetus scowled, but Theron knew that he was trying to stop himself from laughing. Oceanus suppressed a smile as he spun his sword in a circle, the tip grazing the ground and making thin cuts beside him. Oceanus darted to the side and swept his sword up, straight into Iapetus' side. Iapetus started cursing his oldest brother in annoyance.

"It thought we agreed we were going to knock him out then attack each other!" Iapetus yelled in annoyance.

"I do not remember agreeing to that," Oceanus said innocently.

"That is Minotaur Dung, brother," Iapetus scowled.

"Do I look like I care?" Oceanus asked raising an eyebrow.

"Not really," Iapetus muttered.

"There we go," Oceanus smirked and whacked the flat of his blade against his brother's head. Iapetus collapsed onto his ground unconscious. Theron grinned and charged towards Oceanus, the older Titan blocked the attack and struck out at Theron's side. Theron twisted out of the way and tried to trip Oceanus up, instead, Oceanus kicked his foot making Theron leap back with a pained curse.

Theron growled under his breath at his uncle and his vision turned slightly red around the edges. The two Titans exchanged attacks and Theron found himself blocking more than attacking. After several minutes Theron managed to sweep StormWraith round and hook the end around Oceanus' foot, with a small tug the oldest Titan went sprawling. Theron smirked and pointed his trident at his uncle.

"I win," He said smugly as he looked around at the Titans groaning on the ground.

The air suddenly became colder and time slowed slightly, Theron cursed. He had forgotten about his father. Before Theron could move, he was kicked forward and Kronos planted his foot on Theron's back. StormWraith flew out of his hand. Theron groaned in annoyance and started cursing himself for letting his guard down.

"Actually, son," Kronos laughed, "I believe I win."

"Time jumps are cheating, father," Theron complained. "It is unfair!"

"We were allowed to use our powers, were we not?" Kronos asked amusedly.

"But you cheated! You are not allowed to time jump!"

"Someone should have told me that then." Kronos sighed as he looked at the Titans lying on the ground, "I do wish you would not suddenly start these fights, son, you know your uncles do not have any brain cells to spare."

"You are one of my uncles too, father," Theron's muffled voice replied.

Kronos scowled as Theron's frame shook with laughter. "Shut up, son."

"Can you get off me now, father? Tartarus does not taste very nice."

Kronos smirked and rested the tip of Backbiter against his son's neck. "Yield. I am not going to move until you do."

"Seriously?" Theron whined, "Do I have to?"

"Yes, son," Kronos suppressed a smile, "I have not won yet. Yield and I will let you go."

"Fine," Theron exclaimed, "I yield! Are you happy now?"

"Very," Kronos nodded and moved his foot. Theron glared at the Titan King as he stood up and held his hand out. StormWraith returned to him and he placed the weapon across his back. He laughed as he looked around at the Titans that were slowly picking themselves off of the floor.

"Beaten by my little brother," Oceanus growled obviously miffed.

"Cheating little brother," Theron corrected as he strode over to Iapetus and whacked him on the side of the head. Iapetus woke with a start and had Theron on the ground with his spear at his throat in a second.

"I surrender," Theron said holding his hands above his head. Iapetus chuckled and helped his nephew up. Theron gave Iapetus and Oceanus a meaningful look before fire travelling away to his room. Oceanus mist travelled away and Iapetus followed by shadow travel.

Theron's uncles found him sitting on his bed waiting for them. They were slightly surprised to see his room. The walls were almost completely bare and they shone with a slight golden light. There was one wardrobe in the middle of one of the walls. The back seemed to be attached to the wall which confused the Titans slightly as everything in Othrys was made of Tartarus – the Primordial himself had made Othrys for them when they first came down to the Pit. Theron's room was modest. The only thing that showed his status as Prince of Othrys was the armour in the corner of the room. The armour was ceremonial and for when the Titans all marched to war, it showed his status as General and Prince. The parts of the armour had been dipped in molten gold, a black trident and scythe crossed on the centre of the breastplate. A Stygian Iron trim was on every piece of gear which showed his status of Titan of Monsters. The helmet had a crest that was sharp on the top and spiked further forward than the rest of the helm and had two horns emerging from the back that curled down slightly. The cheek guards of the helm spiked down the front further than the back.

Theron was looking at the amour thoughtfully and the Titans remembered that the last time he had worn it was in the First Olympian War. Despite that, the gear was still shining and not a single speck of rust was visible.

"Why do you wish to speak with us, nephew?" Oceanus asked curiously.

Theron put his fingers to his lips in a gesture for them to be silent. "One perk of being King is that you know what is being said." He stood up and walked to the wardrobe. As soon as he opened the door a DireWolf made of fire leapt out, the Titans jumped in surprise.

"It is just an illusion," Theron said confidently and walked straight through it. Oceanus hesitated before doing the same. Where the Wolf stood the air was slightly hotter, but that was it.

"Holy immortals," Oceanus muttered, "how did you make it?"

"Several millennia ago I found out I could make illusions of monsters." Theron explained as he reached into the empty wardrobe. His hand lit on fire and he placed it on the back of the wardrobe, there was a grinding noise and Theron stepped back. The Titans watched in shock as the back moved back then slid to the side, revealing a passage into the wall.

"How have you done all this?" Iapetus asked in shock.

"I cashed in some of my favours with Tartarus several millennia ago." Theron grinned and strode into the passage, "Are you coming?"

The older Titans quickly followed and the illusion of the Wolf disappeared as the back slid back into place. Torches along the walls lit on fire, casting eerie green light across the walls. They walked for some minutes until they emerged into a large chamber.

"Kronos does not know about this room, he will not be able to hear. I only ask that you keep this place a secret, if the other Titans know they will be furious with me." Theron said warily.

"Your secret is safe, nephew," Iapetus said and Oceanus nodded his head in agreement.

Theron grinned and moved to a pool in the middle of the chamber, he sat at the edge and gestured for his uncles to join him. "I use this to observe what is happening on the surface. Anywhere there is a hearth I can look at."

"Why a hearth?" Oceanus asked curiously as he looked at the pool of water.

"Hestia is my favourite sibling for many reasons," Theron smiled and waved his hand. The pool suddenly lit up on fire before clearing. The pool showed the throne room of the gods.

"You have been spying on the gods?" Iapetus asked incredulously.

"I wanted to know something," Theron said quietly as he cast a quick look at the image, "my suspicions were confirmed. Your mother will be fighting the gods at Thessaly. The gods will take Olympus as their base of operations, which only leaves one place that she could use."

"Othrys," Oceanus muttered.

"Correct." Theron nodded, "Your mother will be placing her army _on_ Othrys." His voice steeled as he spoke, "_our roots_ will be used by her. She could have the power to destroy us by tearing apart the ruins of our thrones and home."

"Gaea intends to destroy Othrys and Olympus no matter what we do," Iapetus stated.

Theron nodded, "She wants the Giants to rule and eliminate every mortal on Earth. For once, Othrys and Olympus' interests are aligned. Both of us want to rule over mortals. What before made us fight against Olympus may be the same reason that we fight with them."

"I am sure you did not want to talk to the two of us about only this." Oceanus said.

"If you just wanted to talk about this then you would have told the whole council," Iapetus added in agreement.

Theron waved his hand and the image changed into one of the dungeons. "We are going to get the demigods out of Othrys and to Atlantis or Camp Half-Blood as back up."

"Why to Atlantis and not Olympus?" Oceanus asked.

"Olympus has hundreds of gods on. Atlantis has less than a dozen at most." Theron said, "If you would rather go to Olympus and die, that is fine with me, but Atlantis will be easier to get to without dying or being attacked by any gods." He swiped his hand through the pool and the image rotated so the Titans could all see the cell with the two demigods in.

"Why did you put them in that cell?" Iapetus asked incredulously, "That is the worst one to be in!"

Theron smirked, "Tell me, uncles, who was the last being to be in that cell?"

"Lycaon," Oceanus replied, "several millennia ago."

Theron scowled at the werewolf's name and nodded. "I am incredibly lucky that he did not notice something." Theron grinned and flicked his wrist. One of the walls in the cell lit up with Greek fire and the demigods leapt up in alarm. Theron waited until the flames started changing colour from green to a blue-green then put them out.

"Was there a point to that other than terrifying the demigods?" Iapetus asked.

"Yes, there was," Theron grinned, "look at the wall. One part of it is white hot, the rest is not."

"What did you do?" Oceanus asked warily.

"Through some of the walls there are passageways I had Tartarus put in for precautions. That cell is one that happens to have one such passageway." Theron looked at the cell and saw that the demigods had noticed the difference between the walls. "The passageways lead to the areas around Othrys, the exits are placed where there is shelter. If we can give the two demigods hints on how to get out then us three can meet them at the exits when they get out."

"Kronos will realise what is happening too soon," Iapetus said, "he knows nearly everything that happens in Othrys."

"Not if Rhea distracts him," Theron grinned, "we can do this."

"What if Kronos isn't distracted by Rhea?" Oceanus asked.

"I will cash in some favours with Tartarus, I am sure he has something that needs to be done. Then I can fire travel the demigods out of Tartarus if the Pit allows me to."

"You did not answer my question, nephew," Oceanus sighed.

"If Rhea fails, then one of us will have to stay behind and we may have to split up. We could meet up at Perseus' house, both of the demigods know where it is and I am sure Percy's mother would not mind." Theron explained.

"Kronos wants them dead in a week," Iapetus frowned, "so we will have to get them out soon."

Theron looked into the pool by his feet thoughtfully. "Then we will have to get them to discover the passage quickly." The wall of the cell was still white hot and the demigods were looking at it curiously.

"How does it open?" Iapetus asked.

"There is a loose circle in the door near the bottom." Theron said, "They have to find three symbols that are between the wall and the ground. The symbols fit into three gaps in the circle. Once all three symbols are in the circle the door will open."

"What are the symbols?" Oceanus said.

"A Scythe, a trident and a sword," Theron grinned, "the weapons of the three Titans that have higher positions on the council - Kronos, me, and you, Oceanus."

"Why three?" Iapetus scowled.

"Why are there the Big Three? Why do the gods only allow three Half-Bloods on a quest? Why are there three Fates?" Theron asked, "I do not know. Three is a holy number."

"They will do it," Iapetus said confidently, "Bob agrees with me." He then muttered to himself, "Bob? Who names a Titan Bob?"

"Talking to yourself is the first sign of madness, uncle," Theron said seriously.

"Shut up, nephew," Iapetus glared at Theron who just laughed and stood up. The pool at their feet cleared and became see-through as the three Titans left the chamber.

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**Next chapter - Out Of Tartarus**

**A nice long chapter for you guys. **

**I still need a cover photo... and reviews.**


	25. Out of Tartarus

**not a mortal: Nice chapter and is tartarus and theron best freinds? / More like Tartarus and Theron have a mutual understanding and have a shared domain (technically) of Monsters, they are friends, but not best friends.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Heroes of Olympus**

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**Chapter 25 - Out of Tartarus**

Theron checked up on the demigods' progress at least five times a day. Percy and Annabeth had quickly learnt that something was different with that wall and the daughter of Athena had lived up to her heritage by scratching the outline of the door into the wall with her drakon bone sword. With every day that passed Oceanus, Iapetus and Theron became more nervous. The last Titan to go against a decision of the council had been Theron and it hadn't ended very well for him.

Theron made sure that they were being given food, he couldn't do it himself otherwise Kronos might become suspicious, but he was able to slip some Ambrosia into some of the bread that they were given and sometimes he managed to swap their water for Nectar.

After the second day, the demigods had found the circle, but didn't know what to do with it. Percy had tried fitting the edge of Riptide into the hairline crack around it to lever the circle out, but the blade had almost snapped off so he quickly stopped. It was Annabeth that found the first symbol when she had tried to fit her drakon bone sword under the door. The point of the weapon had dislodged it from where it was hidden. One day after that, Percy found the next one when he had desperately tried to fit his fingers under the door and lift it out of the wall. The last symbol was found only one hour later and Annabeth had quickly deduced that they needed to put them somewhere in the door. They tried to fit them in, but they had to be put in a certain order and place.

The two demigods quickly became frustrated with the cell they were in and Percy had begun to try and pick the lock with the point of Riptide. Needless to say, the three Titans watching had taken great amusement out of this.

During the fifth day, Annabeth figured it out. The symbols needed to be placed in order of the sword, scythe, and then trident - reflecting the ages of Oceanus, Kronos, and Theron. They formed a triangle with the scythe at the top, the trident at the bottom right and the sword at the bottom left – showing that Kronos was the King, Theron his right hand and Oceanus his left.

Theron was impressed that they had managed to figure out the entrance to the passageway so quickly. As soon as he told Oceanus and Iapetus that the demigods were in the tunnel they quickly packed everything they would need and ran off to the exit of the tunnel.

Theron went to find Kronos. He guessed correctly that the Titan King would be in his room. He intended to tell his father that he was going away for a while – since he was grounded he couldn't leave Othrys unless he wanted an even worse punishment. He walked straight into Kronos' room and turned around quickly, shielding his eyes as he slammed the door shut. He had to wait less than a minute until Kronos came out, shutting the door firmly behind him before Theron could look inside the room.

Kronos raised an eyebrow as he crossed his arms over his bare chest. "Did you want something, son?"

Theron looked at his father for several seconds before a grin broke out on his face, the scar over his right eye stretched. "So when can I expect another sibling?"

"Not anytime soon," Kronos said firmly, "I am having no more children until I believe they will not kill me."

"Sorry," Theron apologised, "it is too much fun. I wanted to ask if I could leave Othrys for possibly as long as a week."

"Why do you need to leave?" Kronos' eyebrows furrowed as he looked at Theron.

"I was hoping I could gather the DireWolf Packs together. We will likely need them to help us combat Lycaon and his pet wolves."

"If you must go take someone with you, son," Kronos said.

"I have already asked Oceanus and Iapetus. They agreed and are waiting for me to join them now." Theron nodded.

"As long as you do not run into any kind of problems willingly, then yes. You may go. I want you to be careful though, son." Kronos said.

"Thank you, father," Theron grinned, "and… uh, you may want to lock the door. I would rather not walk in on my parents having sex again."

"Just go, son," Kronos scowled and opened the door to slip inside it. Theron heard the lock slide across.

"Have fun, father!" He shouted, "You too, mother!"

Kronos' muffled curses followed Theron as he fire travelled to meet up with his uncles.

"What happened?" Oceanus immediately asked.

"I walked in on Kronos and Rhea having sex," Theron said bluntly.

"I did not really need to know that, nephew," Oceanus said as he tried to dispel the image forming in his mind. "I meant what did he say?"

"As long as someone comes with me to keep me out of trouble," Theron grimaced, "I told him I was going to gather the Packs together."

Iapetus snickered, "He actually believed you?"

"Apparently so," Theron smirked.

"Our brother cannot seriously be that stupid," Oceanus snorted and Iapetus nodded his head in agreement.

Theron shrugged, "He must be a good actor then."

Oceanus frowned and shook his head, but he didn't say anything. Theron settled down to wait beside his uncles for the demigods to come, keeping a careful eye scanning their surroundings. It was almost an hour later that Theron heard the footsteps of the two demigods. Almost as soon as he heard them, alarm bells ran out across Tartarus.

"I told you, nephew," Oceanus said, "Kronos is not stupid."

"I will stay behind and delay them," Iapetus decided as he stood up.

"I will help," Oceanus said, "we will meet you at Perseus' house, Theron."

Theron nodded. "Good luck."

"You too, Prince," Iapetus said as he strode out from under the shelter with Oceanus behind him.

Theron paced anxiously as he waited for the demigods to exit the passageway. The first one to come out was Percy who nervously exited with Riptide held in front of him. Annabeth came out after him and she was covered in cobwebs.

Theron wasted no time and stopped in front of them, not caring how Percy's grip on his sword tightened. "If you want to get out of Tartarus you will have to trust me."

Percy immediately shook his head. "The last time we trusted you, you led us into an ambush. Why should we trust you this time?"

"You should trust me because I am the only immortal with the ability to teleport out of Tartarus." Theron said as he studied them. When they made no movement, he sighed and said, "I swear on the river Styx that I have no intention to harm Perseus Jackson and Annabeth Chase."

The demigods waited several seconds, but when nothing happened to Theron they relaxed and put away their weapons. Percy put Riptide in his pocket, "So, where to, Lord Traitor?"

Theron glared pointedly at his nephew, "You can call me anything you want, except that. Am I understood, Jackson? I do not care what your father would do to me if I killed you, and you had best remember that."

Percy stubbornly crossed his arms over his chest. "I am going to call you whatever I want. You voted to have us killed!"

"Who do you think set up the passageways in Othrys, Perseus?" Theron growled, "You owe your escape to Oceanus, Iapetus, and I."

"You made the passageways?" Annabeth asked curiously, "It was ingenious."

"You two are the first to open the door in that cell." Theron smirked, "Lycaon was there for nearly two centuries at one point and did not even know there was a secret passage out of the cell."

"Lord Traitor," Percy said and Theron glared at him, "how are we going to get out then?"

"Trust me," Theron said bluntly and stretched his hand out towards them. "I can teleport us out of Tartarus and if we stay here any longer then Kronos will find us."

Percy and Annabeth hesitated and looked at each other, having a silent conversation with their eyes. Theron shifted uncomfortably as he watched, silently wishing that Styx was there with him. What snapped them out of it was when Kronos' enraged shout echoed around them.

"We trust you," Annabeth nodded and grabbed Theron's hand. "You should probably shrink though."

Theron chuckled and shook his head. "No, I think I will stay like this. Mortals will have to get used to the idea of immortals running around sometime, will they not?"

"I guess," Annabeth muttered.

Percy held onto the Titan Prince's arm and Theron fire travelled the three of them out of Tartarus.

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**N****ext Chapte****r - Found**

**Percy and Annabeth are out of Tartarus. Oceanus, Theron and Iapetus are risking everything to help them, and Kronos is angry. **

**If there are any suggestions about where you want this story to go then don't be afraid to review and request. **


	26. Found

**flamingmonkey0: lord traitor thats so true... / Bit confused as to whether you like this fanfic or not, but since you have read this far i am assuming you like it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Heroes of Olympus**

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**Chapter 26 - Found**

They reappeared in Manhattan in the shadows cast by the Empire State Building. Immediately mortals stopped and watched with open mouths as Theron was standing at a height of eleven feet. "This way, demigods," he said before walking in the direction of Central Park. Mortals moved out of his way and gave him a wide birth. Percy and Annabeth felt self-conscious as they followed in his wake.

"Where are we going?" Percy asked as he looked nervously at all of the mortals, his hand was clutching Riptide in his pocket.

"To your house. Did I not tell you?" Theron asked slightly surprised, "We are going to meet up with Oceanus and Iapetus before we go any further."

"What?" Annabeth asked, "Why are we doing that?"

"We agreed that if we were separated then we would meet up at Sally's house, since both of them know where it is. That reminds me, nephew," Theron liked saying nephew and not being the one it was said to for once, "you should get your mortal parents to move house. Practically every monster in the Greek world knows where you live, all of Othrys, and all of Olympus."

Percy frowned, "Really? Every being knows?"

"You seriously think word does not get around? You would be surprised to find out how good monsters are at gossiping." Theron snickered, "I once spread a rumour when Othrys was at its highest point. Within hours every single monster knew about it. Kronos was not very impressed, and to this day he does not even know who started it."

"What was the rumour?" Percy asked mischievously.

"I am not telling you, but even now some monsters and Titans still speak of it." Theron said idly as he looked around them. Percy and Annabeth frowned as they sensed his nervousness.

They were walking through Central Park in the trees along the Reservoir when Theron suddenly cried out in pain and staggered towards a tree. Percy immediately pulled out Riptide and looked around. He saw something in the corner of his eyes and dived to the ground, pulling Annabeth down with him. Two arrows thudded into the trees behind them and Percy was up in an instant searching for who had fired them. Whoever it was that was firing at them knew how to hide themselves well.

Percy dragged Annabeth behind a tree and several arrows thudded into the bark.

"Who is it?" Percy hissed.

"I don't know!" Annabeth said, "A Titan possibly?"

"What Titan uses a bow?" Percy asked curiously, "I thought they all used close-combat weapons."

Theron had managed to drag himself around the tree he had collapsed against and was clutching his right arm to his chest. Golden ichor was staining his top, and his face was twisted with pain. "Perseus," he muttered.

Percy looked at Annabeth who nodded. Percy quickly sprinted for the tree Theron was behind, narrowly avoiding several arrows that shot by his legs.

"It is Lelantos," Theron said, "and do not get hit by his arrows - he has poisoned them."

"How do you-"

"I can sense him, Jackson," Theron murmured, "Titans can sense each other and other immortals."

"Your arm-" Percy said. Theron moved his hand slightly, revealing an arrow sticking out of his upper arm.

"It is painful," Theron said, "but I will be fine."

"You said he had poisoned his arrows," Percy said worriedly.

"Like I said - it is painful, but I will be fine." Theron said, "He knows he is not to kill you."

Percy nodded and readied himself to run back to Annabeth when Theron grabbed his arm. "Come closer."

Percy hesitantly knelt down beside him. "What are you doing?"

Theron pulled himself up and reached out to touch Percy's forehead, pausing slightly and looking for permission to continue. "What are you doing?" Percy repeated.

"I am trying to help you, Jackson," Theron grunted, "so do you trust me?"

Percy wanted to say that he didn't, but something in Theron's expression hold him that the Titan was genuine in wanting to help. "Yes, I do."

Theron nodded slightly and reached out further, touching Percy's forehead. A golden light lit up the surrounding area (which made them shine out like a bonfire since it was the middle of the night), and all of Percy's injuries healed. He felt a rush of energy, and then new knowledge entered his head.

"What-"

"No time," Theron said softly, "go, nephew, stop Lelantos before any more of my relatives find us." Percy nodded and stood up, feeling stronger. He sprinted back to Annabeth, ducking under an arrow that shot by his head.

"Percy!" Annabeth whispered loudly, "Do you want to give a signal to whoever is firing at us? Lighting up like a bonfire isn't going to help us!"

"It's Lelantos," Percy muttered as he peeked around the side of the tree and promptly ducked back around the trunk as an arrow flew at his face.

"The Titan of Air and The Hunter's Skill of Stalking Prey," Annabeth remembered, "so what is Theron going to do?"

"Nothing," Percy said.

"What? We don't even know where Lelantos is!" Annabeth exclaimed, "How are we going to get to Sally's?"

Lelantos had apparently become tired of them hiding behind the tree as arrows suddenly came from the other direction. Percy and Annabeth quickly scrambled to the other side of the tree, whilst Theron managed to raise a protective wall of solid air in front of him. Percy shut his eyes and concentrated, he felt a tug in his gut and the Reservoir rose up.

Annabeth's jaw dropped. "Percy, how are you doing that?"

Percy made the Reservoir drop into the forest and was rewarded with a shout of rage. He quickly raised Riptide and dived into the treeline with Annabeth behind him. He ran straight to the place the shout had come from, but couldn't see any Titan in the area.

"He was just here, wasn't he?" Percy asked confusedly.

"Think, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth said, "He is the Titan of Air. Where would he be hiding?"

Percy scanned the treetops above them. "Nearly exactly above us," he muttered as he still pretended to scan the area. Annabeth let her eyes roam over Lelantos as if she hadn't seen him, and Percy was pleased to see that he was completely drenched. Theron's cry of pain echoed around them and there was rustling above them. When Percy and Annabeth looked at Lelantos again, he wasn't there.

"Where is he?" Percy asked warily as he turned in a slow circle.

"He's gone," Annabeth said, "where would he have gone?"

Percy frowned. "I don't know."

"What would he…" Annabeth trailed off then her eyes widened, "Theron."

Percy quickly took off with Annabeth following him. It took several seconds to get back to where Theron was and the first thing he saw was a glowing silver arrow snapped into two pieces and covered in golden ichor. Then he saw a pool of ichor on the floor and the absence of Theron. There was the sound of wing beats above them and the demigods threw themselves to the ground. Percy rolled back to his feet and glared up at the winged Titan hovering above them.

"What have you done with Theron?" Percy growled.

"My cousin will be punished for his actions in disobeying the King," Lelantos said, "and the two of you are to be killed under the orders of Kronos."

"Come down here and face me, coward!" Percy yelled.

Lelantos' silver eyes glowed and his wings folded against his back. He landed on the ground with a thud. "Do you wish to test me, demigods?"

"No," Percy said sarcastically, "I was going to run."

Lelantos frowned as if he didn't know it was sarcasm, then his eyes narrowed and a bow appeared in his hand. The bow was proportionate to his ten foot height and silver in colour. "I usually do not attack mortals unless they do first, but I think today I will make an exception."

Percy was still feeling confident, at least until Lelantos pulled back on the string and an arrow the size of a harpoon appeared ready to fire. "Annabeth," Percy muttered.

"On it," Annabeth said starting to back away from the Titan, "let's go." Annabeth turned and ran, Percy following close behind her. Lelantos fired the arrow and they dived to the ground, a tree in front of them exploded.

Percy and Annabeth ran out of Central Park near The Met and sprinted north. Lelantos flew above them and fired his harpoon sized arrows as they shoved past mortals. The mortals screamed and ran away. Percy and Annabeth used them as cover so Lelantos couldn't see them in the mass of bodies. They ran uptown, remembering that Theron had told them that Oceanus and Iapetus were going to meet up with them at Sally's house. Lelantos was lazily flying above them with his wings fully extended and was raining harpoon-sized arrows down on them.

"At least there aren't any monsters."

"Percy!" Annabeth yelled, "You are such a Seaweed Brain!"

"Sorry," Percy muttered as mortals started screaming even more and running towards them. He readied Riptide and charged the first monster, ducking under the dracaena's spear and stabbing it through the heart. Lelantos immediately noticed when the first few monsters vaporized and sent another few arrows at the demigods. One exploded several feet from Percy and he was sent flying into the side of a building. The remaining monsters immediately surrounded Percy as he struggled to hit feet and Annabeth tried to fight her way to his side.

"A brave try, demigods," Lelantos said as he stopped in front of them, "but it is time to surrender. You are surrounded, if you continue you will be torn apart by my friends here." He gestured to the monsters around them with a smug smile. Percy hoped they were close enough to his mother's house and that Oceanus and Iapetus were on their way to help, but one look around him let him know that he and Annabeth were alone. They were on Ninety-Ninth Street and First Avenue, five streets from his house.

Lelantos pulled back the string on his bow and a glowing silver arrow appeared set on the rest. The arrow was fired several seconds later and became smaller as it flew through the air. Percy somehow sensed the path of the arrow through the air and deflected the tip with the flat of Riptide. Lelantos' eyes narrowed and he fired two arrows at once, both of which were heading straight for Percy. The demigod shut his eyes as they approached, but a sharp intake of breath from Annabeth made him look. The arrows were moving in slow-motion, until they stopped several inches from Percy's chest.

"How low you have sunk, cousin," Theron's voice echoed around them as he strode through the monsters, "to attack demigods." He had a make-shift bandage that he had ripped from the bottom of his top and had wrapped around his right arm in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

Lelantos looked at Theron in shock, but quickly recovered and glared at him. "You help the enemy, Theron. Kronos knows that the demigods would not have been able to escape on their own," the Titan scowled, "Oceanus and Iapetus revealed that they were helping when they attacked us, and Kronos made it so they will think twice before they betray us again."

Theron glowered at his cousin, "What happened?"

"I think it is safe to say that Iapetus will not be up and running around for a long time," Lelantos smirked.

"What did you do?" Theron growled.

"I did not do anything," Lelantos sneered, "I cannot say the same for your father. He is absolutely furious with you, Oceanus and Iapetus. It would be easier for you to give yourself up, less of a punishment from the Titans."

"Are you threatening me, cousin?" Theron asked steely calm.

"Both of us are, Prince." The monsters moved to the side and another Titan strode forward to stand in front of Theron.

"Atlas," Theron growled, "why are you here?"

"You did not attempt to cover your tracks, cousin," Atlas laughed, "you were not hard to find – even for me. Either you give yourself up, or we have to fight you. I would rather you choose the former option."

Theron's reply was to summon his armour to him, StormWraith formed in his left hand. "The demigods are under my protection. Back away, or you and the mortals will get hurt."

"Since when have you started using that armour again?" Lelantos scowled, "And are you comparing us to mortals, cousin?"

"Back away," Theron repeated, "I will not hold back."

"And neither will we," Atlas said once he had recovered from the shock of seeing Theron in his old suit of armour.

Percy and Annabeth stepped forward so they were besides Theron with their weapons raised. The smell of seawater invaded the area and Oceanus appeared in full battle gear next to Theron. Atlas and Lelantos looked slightly less confident now that they were fighting two of the strongest Titans, but Atlas was also one of the strongest and he knew that he would be able to beat Theron in their current states.

Lelantos started the fight by firing arrows at Oceanus who vapour travelled so he was behind his nephew. Atlas charged Theron and swung his javelin towards his chest with immense strength. Theron ran forward to meet him halfway and with a flick of his wrist he deflected the attack. Theron knew he couldn't beat Atlas, but intended to give Percy and Annabeth long enough to kill the monsters and run. The remaining mortals screamed and ran from the fights as fast as their small legs would take them.

Theron struggled to block Atlas' attacks as he was slowly forced back towards the building behind him. His right arm still hurt even with the arrow out of it and his left hand wasn't his dominant fighting hand.

Percy and Annabeth were protecting each other's backs as they cut through the twenty or so monsters and tried to protect the fleeing mortals. Theron was distracted when Percy yelled in pain and Atlas quickly capitalized on his mistake. The General's javelin was thrust through Theron's chest with Atlas' full strength and Atlas shoved the tip of the weapon into the building behind his cousin.

"Yield, Theron," Atlas said, "I do not want to have to kill you. Yield and I will make sure that Kronos does not punish you too badly."

Theron struggled to think past the pain in his chest - he was almost certain that Atlas had stabbed a lung. "And then what? The demigods will be killed, and I am sorry, but I will not let that happen."

"I do not think you have a choice, cousin," Atlas scowled and summoned a dagger to his hand, placing it at Theron's neck. "Last words?"

"Yes, actually," Theron smirked, "when you wake up, be sure to tell our _esteemed Lord Kronos_ that he can try all he wants, but I _will _be helping the gods in this war. It is his choice whether he helps me or not."

Atlas' eyes narrowed, "When I wake up? What?" Theron grinned and summoned up a blast or air that sent Atlas flying towards him. Theron swung his right hand and punched his cousin in the head, knocking him out and dislocating his shoulder in the process. The temperature rapidly fell until the demigods' breath was visible and Theron struggled to get enough power into himself. Oceanus' eyes widened and he dropped Lelantos after knocking him out then sprinted to the demigods and shielded their bodies with his own. He summoned water that turned into ice and kept his feet in place. Theron took in a deep breath and the whole area around them seemed to inhale. The remaining monsters screeched in panic as they were pulled towards Theron where they seemed to be absorbed into him. The Titan of Monster's body glowed with a golden aura as he absorbed the essences of the monsters in the area. As soon as the last monster disappeared – a hellhound that was howling in panic as it was absorbed into the Titan's chest plate – Theron shut off the pull.

Oceanus warily looked around and when he saw Theron slumped over, Atlas' javelin the only thing stopping him from falling to his knees, he quickly snapped the ice around his ankles and vapour travelled over to his nephew. Golden ichor was trickling out of Theron's mouth and his heartbeat was rapidly slowing. "You fool!" Oceanus yelled, "Why did you do that! A javelin is currently impaling you!"

"What was that?" Annabeth asked shakily as she looked around at the weapons the monsters had dropped, "And why is he glowing?"

"I will explain later, demigods," Oceanus said harshly, "can you get him to your mother's house, Jackson?"

"Sure," Percy said nervously – he was remembering that he had insulted Theron dozens of times a few minutes ago and now he had seen Theron destroy dozens of monsters with apparently little to no effort. "I can try. What are you going to do?"

Oceanus pointed to the roof of one of the buildings around them, "I need to retrieve Iapetus."

"We will get him to Sally's," Annabeth promised and Oceanus nodded before turning back to Theron.

"This will hurt, nephew," Oceanus warned.

"I do not care," Theron muttered weakly as more ichor dropped into the floor. Oceanus shook his head slightly and gestured for the demigods to stand back. He grabbed Theron's side and pulled his nephew off of the javelin. Theron immediately relied upon Oceanus to stand up. His front was covered in golden ichor and he was rapidly going pale. Percy and Annabeth came to his side and put his arms around their shoulders without complaint. Oceanus vapour travelled away and left the three beings to walk the remaining five streets alone, all of the mortals had run and New York was surprisingly quiet. It unnerved Percy and Annabeth. The last time Manhattan had been as quiet as this was when the Titans' Army had invaded.

Theron was pulling the demigods down as they half helped and half dragged him down the streets. Percy was surprised when he quickly discarded the idea of leaving him there, apparently he now thought of Theron as a friend and his Fatal Flaw would not let him leave a friend behind.

They stumbled up to the door of Sally's house and Annabeth knocked on the door with her free hand, stains of golden ichor were left on the door. Golden ichor was falling in a steady stream from Theron's stab wound and at a slightly slower pace from his mouth.

The door opened several minutes and dozens of impatient knocks from Annabeth later. Paul looked at the three beings in front of him in shock. "Percy – what? How?"

"Hey, Paul," Percy gave his step-father a tired smile, "can we come in?"

"Sure," Paul said in a daze, "but where have you been? Do you know how worried-"

Annabeth interrupted before he could ask a lot of questions. "Please call Sally down, this is urgent. I know it is nearly three in the morning, but we need help."

Paul immediately nodded, "Right, sorry, I got carried away." He looked at Theron who had made a considerable-sized pool of ichor. "Bring him into the living room. Sally, we have visitors!"

"Actually," Theron muttered once he was sitting on a sofa, "it is nine minutes and thirty-one seconds past three." The three mortals looked at him incredulously, "Sorry - force of habit. Father makes sure all of us are on time for everything."

"What?" Paul asked.

"Nothing," Annabeth said quickly. She wasn't sure what Paul would think if he found out that Theron's father was Kronos – the Titan that had almost destroyed Olympus and New York less than a year ago. It wasn't something that you go around announcing unless you had a death wish.

Paul looked confused and didn't answer. Several minutes later, Sally walked into the room. "Who would visit at quarter past three in the morning?"

"Hey, mom," Percy said quietly as he stood up.

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**Next chapter - Reunion**

**Theron has given Percy a power boost :) this will come into play again at some point of the fanfic in the future. The reunion Rick Riordan never gave us is next chapter... along with a few surprises.**

**Three chapters will be going up on Christmas day.**


	27. Reunion

**flamingmonkey0:erm dont remember my comment but yeah i like the fanfic, although what happened to theron and styx? aren't they dating or whatever immortals do? / Styx will be coming back into the fanfic soon and then will likely be in the rest of the story.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Heroes of Olympus**

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**Chapter 27 - Reunion**

"Percy," Sally breathed out and quickly hugged Percy.

"Ow, mom," Percy complained, "you're crushing me."

"Where have you been?" Sally asked curiously, "You look terrible, Percy!"

"Oh… out and about," Percy said nervously.

"Perseus Jackson," Sally said, "you are a terrible liar."

"Funny," Theron muttered, "my father says the same thing to me."

Sally looked at him in surprise, then curtseyed low. "I am sorry Lord…"

"Traitor," Percy supplied, "that's what I call him."

"Firstly, Jackson," Theron growled, "that attitude is the exact same one that made most of the council hate you with a passion, and secondly, pass me the ambrosia in your pocket."

"I don't have any ambrosia in my pocket," Percy muttered, but searched his pockets anyway. He looked at the small square of ambrosia in his hand in surprise, "How…?"

"I can sense ambrosia from anywhere, Jackson," Theron grinned as he caught the square when Percy threw it at him. "A little crushed," he mused, "but that is easily fixable." The square glowed golden as Theron reverted it back to its state from before it had been crushed. He quickly popped the square in his mouth and swallowed, almost instantly his wound started closing up.

"Perseus Jackson," Sally exclaimed, "what did you do to make the Olympians hate you? And where in Hades have you been?"

Theron glared at Sally, "Funny how you automatically assume that I am talking about the gods. No," he said sharply, "I am talking about a race of stronger, faster, taller, fitter, and older immortals."

"Don't forget more cunning, honourable, bloodthirsty and arrogant," Percy grinned.

"And stupider," Annabeth said.

"So help me, Chase," Theron growled, "my father would outsmart your mother any day, and if you insult me again I will not hesitate to harm you."

"My mother is the goddess of Wisdom, no one is smarter than her," Annabeth retorted.

"Hubris," Theron snorted, "your Fatal Flaw. Tell me what is my father's nickname given to him for a reason?"

"Which one?" Percy asked, "King Cannibal, or a different one?"

"Sally," Theron said in annoyance, "did you even teach your son any respect? Because he is about to cross the line."

"I did," Sally said giving Percy a disapproving look.

"He doesn't deserve respect," Percy said, "the gods do."

Theron flicked his wrist and froze Percy in time, "You think Poseidon deserves respect? The most the gods can do is kill you. I know how to curse someone with immortality so they watch their friends and family fade away into nothing but a memory. I can force you into Tartarus, or make you go to the Fields of Punishment after death. I have lived for millions of years. I am far older than my siblings, and far stronger. You would do well to remember that, demigods."

"How old are you?" Annabeth asked curiously, "You can't be that much older than your siblings."

"I created the dinosaurs, Chase," Theron said bluntly.

Annabeth's jaw dropped, "They died out sixty-five million years ago."

"I am old, Chase," Theron said in amusement, "I am the first of the second generation by nearly ten millennia. It became rather boring with just my aunts and uncles for company."

"Can you un-freeze Percy now?" Annabeth asked warily. Theron waved his hand and Percy started to move again.

"Are you really that old?" Percy asked in amazement.

Theron opened his mouth to answer, but stopped and frowned, "Someone is here." He muttered and rose to his feet. "Stay," he ordered when Percy and Annabeth moved to help him. "There are very few beings that can mask their aura from other immortals. None of whom are the gods yet."

Annabeth's eyes widened. "They have found us."

Theron shook his head, "It is not my father. I would be able to tell if it is him." He summoned StormWraith to his hand and walked out of the room, shrinking to avoid hitting his head on the ceiling.

"Percy," Sally said quietly once he was out of the room, "who is that? Isn't he a god?"

"It is a long story, mom," Percy said sheepishly running a hand through his hair.

"We have time," Sally put her hands on her hips.

"If he wants to say then he will," Percy said, "I won't invade his privacy."

"He froze you in time!" Sally shouted quietly.

"That sort of gives it away, doesn't it?" Percy muttered.

"Wait a minute," Paul said, "I thought the only one that could stop time was Kronos."

"Don't say his name!" Annabeth warned, "Names have power." It was too late, the temperature dropped. The shadows grew darker, but a second later the presence retreated.

"Who said his name?" Theron's voice roared from the hallway.

"Immortals, nephew," another voice muttered, "you are going to kill my ears."

"Who else is here now?" Sally asked warily.

Theron strode in through the door to the living room, behind him came Oceanus who was supporting Iapetus. "I hope you do not mind," Theron said, though his tone implied that he did not care what she thought.

"It's just a bit of a surprise." Sally muttered, "Firstly you come in with a hole through your chest, then they come in one of whom also has a hole through his chest."

Theron chuckled as he helped Oceanus lower Iapetus onto the sofa that was now covered in golden ichor, "All side-effects of our job. Now, uncle, I cannot risk summoning some ambrosia as my father will be able to find out where we are. So…" Theron placed a hand over Iapetus' wound and concentrated. Organs, muscle and tissue was restored to what it was before Iapetus had been injured as Theron's eyes glowed gold.

Iapetus twisted his torso to check that it did not hurt and was pleased at the result. "You are getting better, nephew."

"Thank you," Theron grinned and cast a meaningful glance at his uncles. The two older Titans shrank to six and a half feet, to the shock of Sally and Paul. Oceanus sat down and leaned back into the sofa like it was a throne, Theron copied his uncle.

Percy sat down on another sofa with Annabeth, and Sally and Paul pulled chairs from the kitchen to sit on. "As I said, mom," Percy said, "it's a long story as to why we are here."

"Before you tell us, "Sally frowned, "can you introduce us to your immortal friends?"

"I would not go as far as to call us friends." Theron snorted, "More like acquaintances that cannot get rid of each other."

"That alone is complicated," Percy said sheepishly. "I first met him," he pointed at Iapetus, "during the Titan War. Him, I sort of met during the quest to rescue Artemis from Atl-"

"No names!" Theron interrupted, "You do not understand how dangerous it is, do you? Not only do names give the said immortal power, but it also lets them know who is speaking of them and where they are. And you did not meet me then, you met me at Central Park." Theron scowled. He wasn't proud of when he was half-immortal and had completely forgotten everything.

"Okay…" Percy said, "and I said I sort of met you - not that I did meet you. I actually met him also during the Titan War."

"Jackson," Theron said in amusement, "I do not think this is helping them. This is Iapetus," Theron gestured to said Titan, "also known as Bob."

Iapetus punched Theron in the shoulder, making him fall off the side of the sofa from the force of the hit. "My name is _not _Bob, nephew," He growled.

"Maybe not," Theron grinned as he pushed himself off the floor, "but that does not mean it is okay to be beaten in your own domain by a demigod, then losing your memories no less."

"Do you want me to remind you why I am called 'The Piercer', brat?" Iapetus scowled as he stood up and summoned his spear to his hand.

"Outside, yes," Theron smirked, "not in here. I doubt Sally would like her house being destroyed."

"Neither of you will be fighting until we get the demigods safely to Camp," Oceanus rumbled, "the King will sense where we are if the two of you fight."

Theron grinned and vaulted over the side of the sofa to sit down as he was before. Iapetus sat down and moved further away from his nephew.

Sally and Paul were looking at Iapetus in shock, surprised that a) he was in their house, and b) Percy and Annabeth were acting like they were friends. "Why is he staring at me?" Sally asked as she looked at Oceanus.

"I am trying to figure out why Poseidon is so attracted to you," Oceanus frowned.

Percy's head shot up, "If you dare-"

"Do not worry, Jackson," Oceanus said dismissively, "I have no intent to use her against him. I keep our quarrel between the two of us and our armies, though it would be interesting to see his reaction in the least. Do you think he would surrender to me, nephew?"

"I think he would. He is always more attached to his lovers than the other gods."

Oceanus looked at Sally thoughtfully, "I wonder."

"So that is Iapetus," Theron continued, "he is Oceanus, and I am Theron."

"Oceanus," Sally said, "the Titan that is constantly trying to take control of the sea from Poseidon and the same one that now wants to get me to help him?"

"I have to say," Oceanus chuckled, "I rather like mortals. I missed their clueless ignorance."

Paul looked at Theron confusedly, "As far as I'm aware, there is no Titan called Theron."

Theron scowled, "I am the Prince of Othrys. Titan of Monsters, Elements, and Hunting, former co-ruler of the Underworld and eldest brother of the stupid beings that are known as 'the Big Three', and I am now the first Titan that the mortals have seen. I am the General of our army with my cousin, the Titan of Strength and Endurance, and I am getting really annoyed with no one knowing who I am."

Sally and Paul were looking at him in shock and a little fear. He realised he was emitting some of his power and quickly locked it away behind a wall, hoping that his father wouldn't have been able to sense it.

"Percy said he met you in the Titan War," Paul swallowed nervously. He wasn't sure whether he should run out of the house screaming for the police, or bow to the Titans in front of him. "What were you doing during the Titan War?"

"I am assuming you know who my father is, yes?" Theron asked and Paul and Sally nodded, "Good. Well he had an _excellent_ idea that it would be useful to have someone on the inside to pass information to him. I took a dip in the Lethe, after making a deal with the River that Kron-sorry, that my father would be able to give them back to me when he wanted. I became Seth," Theron clenched his hands into a fist, "a pawn of Hades and the gods who became a spy for the Titans during the war. During the battle for Manhattan, my father gave me back my memories. I then joined him in a personal vendetta against my siblings that threw me into Tartarus after I helped them in the First Olympian War."

"You were Seth?" Sally asked in surprise, "The same person that visited looking for Nico once?"

"Yes," Theron smirked, "as we had planned, the gods did not suspect a thing. Even now they do not know the gravity of the situation that happened. I spent decades with Hades who ranted about the gods and their separate weaknesses. I could tell my father how to destroy Olympus in one attack and he would immediately gather the whole of our army. Not the small force we recently set against Olympus, but our whole army."

"Why don't you?" Annabeth challenged.

"Because he is blinded by his hate for Olympus, he does not think clearly and all of the Titans know it. Yet, they still follow his orders."

"You do know that the two of you are not so different, correct?" Oceanus asked cautiously. Theron had inherited Kronos' famous temper and was not someone you wanted to be angry at you.

"What do you mean?" Theron asked with his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"You are almost exactly like him when he was younger." Iapetus said, "Even the way you speak and stand is like our younger brother."

"Your temper for one," Oceanus continued, "and the way you do not take your orders being disobeyed. You, too, are blinded by your hate for the gods."

"I am not blind," Theron retorted harshly.

"Remember how Zeus electrocuted you after you helped them?" Iapetus asked slyly, "That was amusing."

Theron's eyes narrowed and he launched himself at his uncle, knocking both of them off the sofa, he punched Iapetus in the face and the older Titan laughed, "See? You are blinded and act rashly whenever someone mentions your siblings." In response, Theron sent another punch flying at Iapetus' face. Iapetus shoved his nephew off of him with no effort and Theron struggled to control his anger.

"Your father's temper," Oceanus said dryly as he watched Theron breathe deeply through his mouth in a useless attempt to control himself. "You do realise that you can fix anything except death if you destroy anything, correct?"

Theron took that as the go ahead. He turned to the wall closest to him and with a yell, slammed his fist into it. A loud crack was heard and Theron started cursing, golden ichor was covering the wall which had a massive dent in and cracks running through it.

"Usually your father takes his anger out on the army," Oceanus said in amusement, "but I am sure a brick wall works fine too."

Theron gritted his teeth and cradled his broken hand to his chest, "Shut up, it was the closest thing I could find."

Sally by now had recovered from her shocked and looked at the cracks in her wall with annoyance. "You may all be freakishly strong, fast, and tall, but that does not mean my house is. My house does not have superpowers. If you are going to try to destroy a house, please choose one that regenerates itself or you can get out of my house."

Percy and Annabeth's jaws dropped at Sally's blatant disrespect for the three Titans. Theron paused trying to reverse time around his hand and looked at Sally in surprise. "Are you going to get out of my house or not destroy it?" Sally demanded, looking oddly fearless for a mortal facing up against three Titans.

Oceanus whistled, "You are a brave mortal, Sally."

Sally tried to ignore the fact that all of the Titans were rather handsome, with chiselled features and strong jaw lines as she kept Oceanus' gaze evenly with her own. "Out or don't destroy my house."

"Now I know what Poseidon saw in you," Oceanus chuckled, "and, Theron? Fix the house."

Theron grunted in acknowledgement and his broken hand glowed golden as he reversed time around it. He then raised his hand up towards the crack in the wall and his eyes glowed gold. Sally and Paul watched in astonishment as the wall seemed to fill in the gap itself.

"You are getting better, nephew," Iapetus complimented.

"Being around my father has many perks," Theron grinned, though his eyes held sadness in them.

"I will take first watch," Oceanus volunteered, "tell the mortals why we are here."

Theron and Iapetus nodded slightly as Oceanus stood up and his silver sword appeared in its sheath at his side. The eldest Titan vapour travelled away to the roof of the building to keep watch for any pursuers.

"Damn him!" Iapetus yelled and at Theron's confused glance he explained, "He only volunteered so he would not have to tell Sally and Paul why we are here."

Theron paled and glanced warily at Sally. He had had plenty of experience with angry mothers and wasn't looking forward to telling Sally why they were there. "I have somewhere to be!" He yelled and promptly sprinted for the door. Iapetus raised an eyebrow and a skeleton's hand reached up out of the ground, grabbing onto Theron's feet and pulling him crashing to the floor.

"Where do you think you are going, nephew?" Iapetus asked in amusement.

"Apparently nowhere," Theron muttered. Iapetus waved his hand and the skeleton hand sank back into the ground.

"Stay," The Titan of the Underworld ordered. Theron rolled his eyes and sat himself back on the sofa.

"Would you care to tell us where you have been and why you are here?" Sally Jackson asked and Paul nodded.

Percy rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "Well… it started ten days ago when we started falling into Tartarus."

Sally's jaw dropped. Theron suppressed a smile, "It is not that bad, Jackson."

"You have lived in Tartarus for the last few millennia," Annabeth retorted.

"Wait a minute," Paul said, "you fell into _Tartarus?_"

"Yup," Percy grinned, "nine day fall. It was very boring – the fall, I mean - not actually Tartarus."

"What happened down there then?" Sally asked warily once she had gotten past the fact that her son had fallen into Tartarus.

"We ran into some demon grandmothers, a friendly giant, a lot of monsters, and six… no, seven Titans." Percy said.

"That reminds me…" Iapetus said as he turned to Theron, "You follow your father's orders too much."

"I do?" Theron asked warily, though he knew what Iapetus meant.

"Yes," Iapetus said, "you do."

Annabeth frowned, "Why do you think that?"

Iapetus turned his silver eyes to face her, "Because those 'demon grandmothers' as your boyfriend calls them usually only answer to one being. Kelli - one of the empousai you ran into – also answers to that one being."

Annabeth's breath caught and she glared at Theron, "You sent them after us!"

Theron frowned, "I could not disobey my father's orders, daughter of Athena. I did not mean for it to get out of hand."

"Out of hand?" Percy yelled, "I almost died!"

"What?" Sally screeched.

"You do not understand." Theron scowled, "Yes, the arai answer to me, and yes, I did send monsters after you. But, if you had gone the way you were going you would have marched straight into Gaea's army. In my opinion taking you back to Othrys was better than you being sacrificed to wake up Dirt Face."

"See, nephew?" Iapetus smirked, "You just told the entirety of what happened whilst they were in Tartarus. That was not so hard, was it?"

"Why did you send the monsters after us? A simple 'come with me' would have been fine." Percy muttered.

"I needed to find some way to slow you down," Theron said, "otherwise I would not have been able to catch up to you."

"That does not excuse you sending the arai after us!" Annabeth yelled.

Theron sighed, "I told all the monsters to not kill you, and they did not."

"Hello?" Percy yelled, "I was poisoned by Gorgon's blood! I'm sure that counts as dying!"

"But you did not die, did you? Damasen saved you."

Sally shook her head, "Why were you even in Tartarus in the first place?"

"We uh… fell," Percy muttered, "I tried to stop Annabeth from falling and thought that if she was going to go to Tartarus then I would go too."

"You _willing _fell in Tartarus?" Paul asked incredulously.

"It was either that or watch as Annabeth fell and I wanted to be with her," Percy said stubbornly.

Iapetus frowned slightly, "What of the rest of the seven? Where are they?"

"Yes," Theron rumbled, "what were their names? Jason, Piper, Leo… and Hazel and Frank?"

"How do you know that?" Annabeth asked warily.

"Word gets around in the Pit, demigods." Theron grinned, "Where were you supposed to be meeting them?"

"At the Doors of Death, why?" Percy asked.

Theron froze, "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Annabeth said, "we agreed to meet at Epirus."

Theron started cursing. "Send an Iris-Message to them. I need to see where they are."

Percy sensed the seriousness in the Titan's voice and summoned some water spray. Annabeth grabbed a glass ball off a shelf behind her and managed to make a rainbow as she searched her pockets for a drachma. Percy found one in his pocket and threw it into the rainbow, "O, Fleecy, do me a solid. Show me Nico di Angelo." The rainbow shimmered and Nico was visible as he severed the head of a dracaenae.

Theron winced slightly as he saw the dracaenae crumple to the floor. Nico's eyes widened as he saw Percy, "Where are you? We have been here for nearly an hour waiting for you!"

"Sorry, Nico," Percy said, "we had a problem in Tartarus."

"Of course you had a problem!" Nico cried, "It isn't Tartarus if there aren't problems!"

Percy started to answer, but Theron interrupted, "Get out of there, now!"

"Why are you with them? You nearly killed Hades!"

Theron looked panicked and he shook his head, "Listen to me! You have to get out of there, now!"

"Not without Percy and Annabeth," Nico said stubbornly.

"Fine," Theron growled, "uncle, are you going to help?"

"Wait – what?" Percy asked, "Where are you going?"

"Oceanus is still on the roof, he will keep you safe until we get back," Theron said ignoring Percy.

"Where are you going?" Annabeth yelled.

"The Doors of Death are the only way out of Tartarus for anyone that is not me, daughter of Athena," Theron growled, "no immortal can teleport out of Tartarus without the Primordial's permission. Who is currently following us?"

Annabeth's eyes widened and she turned to Nico who was still fighting, "Get out of there, Nico!"

"No," Nico cried, "I did not lead the rest of the seven here just to give up!"

Theron growled, "Foolish demigod, you may have just signed your own death warrant!" He then swept his hand through the Iris-message.

"What is happening?" Percy asked.

"There is only one way Kronos can get out of Tartarus," Iapetus explained, "and your half-blood friends are currently in his way. If he is not out of Tartarus yet then he nearly is, and your friends are right where he will exit the Pit."

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**Next chapter - Seven Titans**

**Merry Christmas!**


	28. Seven Titans

**flamingmonkey0: oh dang i feel special my comment up at the top and stuff... / its my way of letting my reviewers know that i do actually read the reviews, unlike some authors on fanfiction that you have no clue if they read them or not.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own HOO**

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**Chapter 28 - Seven Titans**

Nico had done his best. He had led the remaining members of the seven to Epirus as he had promised Percy. He was now fighting alongside them as they tried to get through the hoard of monsters at the Doors of Death where Percy and Annabeth should be waiting for them.

"Nico," Hazel yelled over sounds of fighting, "I can't sense them! Do you know where they are?"

Nico frowned as he concentrated, searching for a flicker of any sign of Percy and Annabeth. He shook his head, then realised that Hazel was busy fighting and shouted, "Nothing!"

"We can't hold out here for much longer," Jason warned as he fended off a rouge ghost that attacked him. Jason was flying above the battle and diving down to attack any monsters that looked like they were stronger than the others.

Nico desperately looked at the Doors of Death. He didn't really know why they were called the _Doors_ of Death, the only thing that resembled a door was the slabs of Stygian Iron that slid open then closed whenever a monster came out. Inside the doors was an inky blackness that seemed to form shapes that became monsters and joined the skirmish.

"Sit!" A voice yelled and Nico nearly did so.

"Piper, this is not obedience school!" Leo shouted as he barbecued an empousa that lunged at him.

"Sorry," Piper yelled back, but then a second later, "Sit, bad boy!"

"Just kill the stupid hellhound, Pipes!" Jason cried.

"Testudo formation!" Frank yelled and the dead legionnaires that had been summoned with the power of Diocletian's sceptre (long story) rushed to obey his orders.

A dracaenae charged at Nico and he cut the serpent's head off. Nico's eyes widened as he saw an Iris-Message floating in front of him. "Where are you? We have been here for nearly an hour waiting for you!" Nico was more annoyed than anything else.

"Sorry, Nico," Percy said, "we had a problem in Tartarus."

"Of course you had a problem!" Nico cried, "It isn't Tartarus if there aren't problems!" The other demigods fighting with him were giving him curious glances.

Percy opened his mouth to answer, but someone else appeared in the Iris-message. "Get out of there, now!"

"Why are you with them? You nearly killed Hades!" Nico was very annoyed now. The Titan that had left his father bloodied on the streets of Manhattan was in front of him and apparently friends with Percy now.

Theron's eyes looked fearful, "Listen to me! You have to get out of there, now!"

Nico looked at Percy. "Not without Percy and Annabeth," he said stubbornly.

"Fine," Theron growled and Nico was about to ask what he mean when he continued, "uncle, are you going to help?"

"Wait – what?" Percy asked and Nico saw the nervousness in him - maybe they did have a problem down in Tartarus. "Where are you going?"

"Oceanus is still on the roof, he will keep you safe until we get back," Theron said ignoring Percy.

"Where are you going?" Annabeth yelled.

"The Doors of Death are the only way out of Tartarus for anyone that is not me, daughter of Athena," Theron growled, "no immortal can teleport out of Tartarus without the Primordial's permission. Who is currently following us?"

Annabeth's eyes widened and she turned to Nico who was still fighting, "Get out of there, Nico!"

"No," Nico cried, "I did not lead the rest of the seven here just to give up!" He was doing this for Percy who had asked him and he wasn't going to stop so easily.

Theron growled, "Foolish demigod, you may have just signed your own death warrant!" He then swept his hand through the Iris-message.

Nico's eyes widened and he was almost run through by another dracaenae. He knocked away the spear point and cut the dracaenae in half.

"Nico," Hazel said and Nico jumped as she seemed to appear next to him, "who was that?"

"Someone you don't want to meet," Nico scowled as he killed a hellhound that lunged at him.

"Was that Theron?" Jason yelled.

"How do you know him?" Nico shouted back.

"What did he want?" Jason yelled as he flew closer to Nico.

"Us to leave," Nico said as he stabbed an empousa in the gut then through the throat.

"Then we have to leave," Jason said.

"Why do you trust him? Actually, how do you even know him?" Nico asked warily.

"I trust him because he saved Piper, Leo, and me at the Wolf House. I know him because I talked to him after we attacked Othrys in the Second Titan War," Jason explained.

"I don't trust him," Nico said bluntly, "and neither should you."

A green fire suddenly started in front of the son of Hades, Nico stumbled back away from the flames and watched as they formed the very person they were just talking about. "You!" Nico yelled and charged Theron, "You tricked me! Pretended to be my brother, all that time it was just a lie!"

Theron easily knocked Nico's sword out of his hand and grabbed his arm, "You are a foolish demigod, son of Hades!" He growled, "You have just likely doomed all of your friends and yourself!"

The shadows formed another figure behind Theron, "Release Di Angelo, nephew," Iapetus ordered.

"Bob," Nico muttered.

"My name is Iapetus, son of Hades," Iapetus sniffed, "not Bob."

Theron scowled but released Nico. "They are doomed. There is not enough time, uncle."

"We will give them time, Theron," Iapetus said confidently.

The other demigods had seen the two new-comers and were quickly making their way over to them. Theron sighed, "Well, Gaea seems to wants them to die."

Iapetus smirked and summoned his battle armour. His silver eyes gleamed in the darkness of the underground, "Are we going to let her?"

Theron chuckled and summoned his own armour, "No way in Tartarus." The two Titans looked at each other for a moment before rising to their Titanly heights. Theron grinned before darting into the army, wherever he went monsters vaporised by the energy coming off of him. Meanwhile, Iapetus went straight towards the army of dead legionnaires and, conscious of the half-bloods staring at him, he bent their will to his own. A quick thought was all it took to get the army in the battle formation Iapetus was most used to - the battle formation of the Titans.

It took less than ten minutes. The two Titans swept straight through Gaea's small force easily and with little effort. The demigods watched incredulously as Theron clobbered a Cyclopes over the head and crushed hellhounds beneath his feet. Iapetus was also on the front lines, stabbing and gutting monsters with his spear.

Once the small force of monsters was destroyed, Theron turned to the Doors of Death briefly as Iapetus dismissed his force of dead legionnaires. "They are coming," Theron muttered, "a few minutes – maybe less."

"Who are coming?" Frank asked, "Who are you two?"

"Titans are coming," Theron said shortly, "and Titans."

The Doors of Death started changing colour slightly and figures started forming in the darkness. Iapetus took one wary glance at it before saying, "No time now, when the fighting starts, run for it. Jason Grace, do not attempt to attack. Nico Di Angelo, you should not attack either unless you have a death wish."

"Get back," Theron growled at the demigods who did so immediately.

"Which Titans are coming?" Leo asked quietly.

"You should know who they are immediately," Theron grinned before turning to the Doors. Iapetus joined him at his side. Both of them were standing with their weapon clutched in their hands and trying to hide the expressions of fear on their faces.

"How many, uncle?" Theron muttered under his breath.

Iapetus' eyes were trained on the Doors as he spoke, "Seven - against the two of us."

"I hate those odds," Theron murmured.

"So do I, nephew."

"Seven Titans!" Frank yelled, "How are you going to manage to fight them off?"

"They will not kill us," Iapetus said confidently, "it is an unspoken agreement that Titans are to never kill each other unless there is reason."

"I am sure getting two demigods out of Othrys under my father's nose counts as a reason," Theron muttered.

"You are really not helping here, nephew," Iapetus scowled.

"Sorry, uncle," Theron kept his eyes on the Doors of Death as the first Titan walked out, followed by six others. All of them wore battle armour.

"If this is the force you think you can beat us with then you may as well surrender now, brat," Hyperion scoffed.

"They are not going to be fighting," Theron scowled.

"Then you should definitely surrender," Hyperion smirked.

"When Tartarus freezes over," Theron retorted.

"Brothers, can we not sort this out peacefully?" Iapetus asked in an attempt at not fighting (and ultimately losing to) them.

Krios laughed, "I knew you would try that approach, brother."

"Titan of the West," Koios snorted, "soft as the sunset."

The only sign of Iapetus' rising anger was his hand clenched around the shaft of his silver spear. "Titan of the North, dense as the pole," Iapetus retorted.

"Are you calling me stupid?" Koios growled and his blue-white eyes narrowed as his massive sword formed in his hand.

"Since you are _so_ knowledgeable, why do you not answer that yourself?"

"Was that sarcasm? I believe that was sarcasm," Koios scowled. "If you think-"

"Thank you, brother," Iapetus smirked, "I do think. I cannot say the same for you, however."

Koios glared at Iapetus who stared back evenly. What encouraged Koios to attack was when his brother's face grew the smallest of smiles. The Titan of the North shifted slightly on his feet and was about to run at Iapetus when a voice cut through the mutterings of the demigods. "Enough!"

Nico's eyes widened, "Impossible."

"Go," Theron muttered as he glanced back at the demigods behind him, "this will get ugly."

"But that's-"

"I know who it is, son of Hades," Theron scowled.

Unfortunately, the Titan they were talking about had noticed Theron's distraction and turned his attention to the six demigods. "You have brought offerings for us." In a split second he moved, charging straight towards them. The demigods only saw a golden blur charging towards them, but Theron could see his father clearly. Theron jumped in the way, and blocked the scythe swinging down onto Jason with StormWraith. The demigods scrambled away and Jason fell backwards onto his _podex_.

"They are not offerings," Theron growled as he strained to force back his father. Kronos glowered at his son and bore down on him, using his height and extra weight as an advantage. Theron's right foot slid back slightly as he struggled. One of the entrances to Tartarus was not that far from him, and he felt energized. But it wasn't enough. Kronos kicked Theron's left shin and his legs buckled underneath him as the Titan King forced Theron to the ground.

Theron heard the demigods running away as he kept his father distracted, Kronos' head shot up in time for him to see Nico show him the finger and disappear up the stairs to the surface. Theron grinned, happy that they had managed to save the demigods, but his expression quickly changed when he saw his father's face.

Kronos quickly unlocked their weapons before swinging his scythe and cutting into Theron's chestplate, his weapon and strength easily tearing into the armour and Theron's skin beneath from his right armpit down to his left hip. Theron immediately felt the draining effects of Kronos' scythe and StormWraith dropped from his hand. Kronos swung his scythe again, but it was blocked by Iapetus' spear and Theron scrambled backwards as golden ichor dropped onto the ground from his wound. Iapetus made sure that he always had his spear between his brother's scythe and his body as one cut from it caused immense pain. Theron had become used to being wounded by Kronos' scythe so it didn't affect him as much, but it still hurt a lot.

The other Titans that had come were apparently bored of watching as they all stalked towards Theron and Iapetus. The Titan of the West easily matched Kronos as they fought so Koios, Hyperion and Krios helped their youngest brother. The other three Titans made their way towards Theron who struggled to his feet, knowing that he wouldn't be able to win this fight.

"Come on, Atlas, Lelantos, Perses," Theron said as he summoned StormWraith to his hand, "you surely do not want this."

"You knocked us unconscious," Atlas growled, "and sent us back to Tartarus with your little Gravity Pull. Of course we want this."

"But you are only fighting me because you do not want to fight your father. Lelantos, you are only doing this to impress Koios, are you not? And, Perses, you just want to annoy me." Theron said calmly, though inside he was panicking, "Come on, I am doing this for the good of Othrys."

"You say you are doing something for the good of Othrys, but you end up destroying us." Atlas growled, "Again and again you have betrayed us, cousin, but no more."

Theron sighed, "Fine, then."

Perses blinked in confusion, "Fine, what?"

Theron's mind was racing, "Fine, we can fight. Why do I not watch whilst you and Atlas fight first? It will be more interesting then, will it not?"

"Me and Atlas," Perses muttered as he looked at his said cousin and visibly brightened, "that would be fun."

"Perses, you fool," Lelantos gritted his teeth, "he is trying to get us to fight each other and thus make it easier for him to win!"

"No, I am not." Theron said with perfect acting skills, "That is outrageous! How dare you suggest such a thing? Why do you not fight Lelantos for suggesting it, Perses?" He suggested.

Perses switched his glare to Lelantos, "Cousin is right," he murmured, "that is stupid, Lelantos, why would he want us to fight each other except for entertainment."

"Because Theron is not an idiot, idiot," Lelantos scowled.

"So you do want to fight me?" Perses asked.

"At the moment, yes, I do," Lelantos said in frustration, "you are being a fool!"

"You are the flying chicken," Perses growled, "always hovering out of the fight and waiting until you can scavenge what remains."

"Both of you are idiots!" Atlas exploded.

"Oh, sure, you can say that," Lelantos said sarcastically, "Mr. Sky-Bearer. What on Olympus possessed you to laugh in Zeus' face and get punished by having to hold up Ouranos? Dionysus?"

"I am not insane!" Atlas yelled.

"It sure seems like it," Lelantos quipped.

Whilst Theron's cousins were arguing, Theron had managed to sneak away without them noticing and was in the process of inspecting the roof of the cavern they were in for any weak points. Iapetus was losing severely against his brothers and if Theron didn't get them out of there soon, his cousins would come back to their senses and attack him instead of each other. He saw a hairline fracture in the ceiling almost directly above the Titan brothers and focused on it, gradually making it weaker and larger until small debris started falling. Iapetus glanced up when the first rock fell and his silver eyes scanned the fracture before glancing at Theron and nodding slightly. The Prince once again focused on the roof, but this time he abandoned all sense of subtleness and a loud crack echoed around the cavern. All of the Titans looked up and Hyperion hesitated in swinging his fiery sword, Iapetus took the opportunity and lunged towards Theron as the shadows converged towards them. Kronos bellowed in rage when he saw them shadow-travel away and the cavern collapsed on the seven Titans.

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**Chapter 28 - Escape**

**One more chapter up today...**


	29. Escape

**flamingmonkey0: hey look its me again! / Special credit for reviewing twice in one day! Merry Christmas flamingmonkey :)**

**Ryaaaaann: This story** **is so good but I'm so confused. Who's side of he on? / Both. :p and merry Christmas ryaaaaann.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own HOO**

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**Chapter 29 - Escape**

Theron and Iapetus reappeared in the living room of Sally's house. Iapetus stumbled and slid down the wall as Theron tried to stop the ichor flowing from the gash in his own chest. The four occupants in the room jumped up in surprise and Percy and Annabeth immediately tried to help the two Titans.

"What happened?" Annabeth asked worriedly. "Why are you hurt?"

Theron knew that Kronos and the Titans would know where they were, he figured they had less than two hours before they were surrounded, so summoning some ambrosia wouldn't do any harm now. In no time at all there were twenty squares of ambrosia in his hand. He gave ten to Iapetus who gratefully ate them and had the rest himself. Ichor stopped falling onto the floor as his wound sealed, but a scar remained and Theron traced it with his finger. He wasn't surprised there was a scar, his father's scythe always left marks – Kronos himself was evidence enough of that.

"Your friends are safe," Theron said, "and Kronos is out of Tartarus."

"The Titan King did that to you?" Paul asked.

"Yes," Iapetus said as he climbed to his feet. "Perseus, Annabeth, we have to leave. They will be here soon. Pack anything that you will need."

Annabeth nodded and dragged Percy out of the room to find some ambrosia that Percy kept in the house. Theron was nervously glancing out of the window and scanning the streets outside for any golden Titans. He knew that if they took too long to leave then someone would have to stay behind to give the demigods time to escape, and Iapetus and Oceanus were two of the Titans he trusted the most to get Percy and Annabeth to Thessaly.

"I apologise for the panic, Sally and Paul," Theron said genuinely.

"Thank you for getting Percy and Annabeth out of Tartarus," Sally replied.

Theron shrugged, "It was worth it. Othrys needs to help Olympus. It is the only option if we do not want Gaea to win this war. 'Divided we fall, united we stand' is an old saying that we started long ago. Kronos does not realise that the united part applies to Othrys and Olympus in this war."

Paul looked at Theron curiously, "You seem to have put a lot of thought into this."

"I have been trying to persuade my father that we have to help for several weeks now. I have had time to think," Theron paused slightly, and then visibly paled.

The smell of sea water filled the room and Oceanus was there, "Where did you go?" He hissed as he grabbed the front of Theron's armour.

"We had to save the six demigods at the Doors of Death," Theron said quickly.

"You fool!" Oceanus growled, "You could have doomed all seven of us!" He saw Theron's expression and released his nephew, "Where are Perseus and Annabeth now?"

"Getting their things… why?" Iapetus asked warily.

"Because there are currently seven Titans outside," Oceanus scowled.

Theron cursed and looked out the window, paling when he saw Kronos leaning against a fence and the mortals giving him a wide berth. "Get the demigods to Thessaly."

"What of you?" Iapetus asked in concern for his nephew.

"I will hold them off," Theron said determinedly as he summoned his bow to him and fire travelled onto the roof.

"Perseus, Annabeth," Oceanus yelled, "get down here, now! We have to leave!" Immediately Percy sprinted down the stairs with Annabeth in tow. Each of them was carrying a backpack and Annabeth had a new dagger strapped to her waist alongside her drakon-bone sword.

"We're ready," Annabeth said.

"Good." Oceanus said and turned to Sally, "Is there a back way out? If we vapour-travel now my brothers will know."

"Yes," Sally said as she leapt to her feet, "the fire escape. Through the kitchen, Percy knows where it is." She swept Percy and Annabeth into a hug, "Please, be safe – I would like to see both of you after the war."

"We will, mom," Percy promised.

"Thank you, Sally," Annabeth said.

Paul gave Percy a man hug once Sally had released them and then nodded to Annabeth, "Percy, you are behind in school work. When you get back I expect an essay."

Percy looked pleadingly at Paul, "I can't do English. I'm dyslexic, remember?"

A chorus of cries sounded outside and all of their head's turned to see a hail of arrows descending onto the Titans. "We should really go," Iapetus muttered to Oceanus, "Theron will not be able to keep them occupied for long."

Oceanus nodded slightly and turned to Percy, "Perseus, we have to go - now."

"Okay," Percy muttered and shouldered his backpack. "Bye, mom, Paul."

He then jogged into the kitchen and made his way to the fire escape door. Annabeth was right behind him and the titans behind her as Percy opened the door and slipped outside.

Oceanus looked back at Iapetus and saw that he looked conflicted and kept glancing at the roof where Theron was. "Do not worry, brother. Our nephew will be fine." His words were hollow and Iapetus knew it. Kronos would not let Theron get off lightly and both of the Titans knew it.

* * *

At first it went well for Theron, the Titans were surprised by the sudden hail of arrows and quickly scattered once the first few had been fired. Theron kept only his head where the Titans could see it so he would be unseen for longer. None of the Titans fell though; arrows wouldn't be able to take them down.

The Titans took cover behind various objects, the main one being the cars passing by. Whenever any Titan made a move towards the front door of Sally's house they found arrows fired at them until they retreated. It was Lelantos that saw Theron first and the two cousins started firing arrows at each other.

All of the Titans had at least three arrows sticking out of various body parts, including one dangerously close to Hyperion's manhood (Theron was feeling pleased with that one). Lelantos' arrows were getting closer and closer to Theron as the Prince continued firing at the seven Titans below him. Hyperion disappeared in a column of flames and Theron paused slightly as he tried to find his uncle.

There was movement behind him and Theron turned, only to see a punch going straight towards his chest. Theron cried out in pain as a loud crack echoed off the buildings around and he was punched off the roof. He immediately knew Hyperion had broken a rib with his punch. Theron landed in the road with a thud and the tarmac cracked beneath him. He groaned as he rolled onto his feet, his bow lay somewhere, but he didn't have any time to retrieve it as immediately Kronos charged him.

Theron summoned StormWraith and blocked the scythe. Kronos growled and easily forced him back, without anything to do with monsters in the area he was far weaker than his father. Add his broken rib to that and Kronos just had to flick his wrist to disarm Theron and send StormWraith clattering across the street.

"Think you can collapse a cavern onto me?" Kronos scowled and stepped forward to punch Theron in the chest, likely breaking another rib, "That you can betray us again with no consequence?" He slammed his knee into Theron's face as the Prince doubled over and clutched his chest.

Theron's head snapped back and he stumbled, trying to regain his balance. Kronos darted forward and swung his scythe, Theron flung his right arm up to block the attack and the cold metal slid into his arm, straight to the bone. Pain exploded along Theron's entire right side, but Kronos didn't give him time to recover and hacked at Theron's right leg. Theron cried out as once again, the scythe cut to the bone.

The other Titans were watching with amusement, though Koios and Atlas were shifting nervously and looking as if they wanted to help Theron. Kronos stepped forward and punched Theron in the face, making golden ichor splatter onto him. The Titan King then grabbed the front of Theron's armour and threw him into a wall which broke and crumbled on top of him.

Theron struggled to rise as Kronos stalked towards him, but collapsed back onto the ground as his two broken ribs screamed in protest. Despite the pain, he managed to eventually pull himself into a sitting position. Ichor was running down his face and making his armour even more golden. A drop rolled down his forehead and Theron had to blink when it entered his eye and obscured his vision.

"Father, stop," Theron pleaded, "no more, please. I am sorry, please, just stop."

Kronos didn't react to Theron's plea as he stood above his son with his scythe raised. The Titans watched nervously, but none of them were daring to stop their King. "Perhaps you need some time reforming to think over your decisions, Theron," Kronos scowled. "I will happily help you."

Every miniscule movement sent pain shooting through Theron, he felt as if Hyperion had used him as firewood and he was slowly burning up. But Theron managed to shift his position slightly and stared at the ground, avoiding Kronos' piercing gaze.

"Speak, son," Kronos growled.

"What more is there to say?" Theron asked quietly. Out of the corner of his eye, Theron saw Koios start to move towards them, then broke into a full-on sprint when Kronos raised his scythe to bring it down across Theron's neck. Theron shut his eyes and readied himself for the incredibly weird feeling of his head being chopped off.

Instead, there was a clash of metal above him and Theron looked to see Kronos' scythe was blocked by a surfboard-sized sword wielded by bluish-white eyed, twelve foot tall Titan. "Stop, brother," Koios ordered, "you have done enough. Look at him. The Prince is on the brink of death and we need him as of now."

The anger in Kronos' eyes gradually cleared as he looked at his son. For a few seconds there was complete silence. Kronos dropped his scythe and it clattered as it hit the floor. The moment was broken as Koios stabbed his sword into the ground where it effortlessly sunk in nearly to the hilt. Kronos rushed towards Theron as the other Titans ran over. Theron's vision started to fade as Kronos kneeled beside him and hurriedly tried to stop the bleeding, pressing his hands to Theron's arm to apply pressure.

"Now we are even, Father." Theron muttered, "I kill you, and you kill me."

"You are _not _dying, son," Kronos growled and carefully picked Theron up, supporting his legs and back. Kronos' voice started to fade in and out of focus as he spoke, "Take him… Othrys…recover…meeting."

There was a bright golden flash that signified Kronos flashing away and likely spontaneously combusting all of the mortals in the area, and Theron felt the familiar comfort of Tartarus as his vision completely faded to black.

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**Merry Christmas everyone!**

**Next chapter - Tsunami**


	30. Tsunami

**flamingmonkey0: 3 times / Special credit for reviewing three times then. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own HOO**

**Two more reviews then i have 20! Keep them coming...**

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**Chapter 30 - Tsunami**

The war was going terribly. Gaea's army seemed endless as waves of monsters launched themselves at the Roman and Greek demigods. It had taken a lot of agreements and truces, along with some orders from Zeus and the other gods before the two camps decided to even attempt to work together. Even with the gods regularly enforcing the rules of no fighting, the two camps were restless being in close proximity with each other.

The Argo II had arrived two days ago with two missing members, the statue of a goddess, a very tired son of Hades, and a massive amount of firepower. The gods went to Camp Half-Blood to stop the fight between the Romans and Greeks and to bring them to Thessaly where Gaea's army was waiting for them.

Gaea's army had taken up residence on the neighbouring mountain of Othrys. The setting was so alike to the First Titan War that Zeus and his five siblings were worried. The current rulers attacked by beings that intended to destroy them and make the world anew. Only this time, Olympus was playing the part of Othrys and the giants were rising up against them. Zeus half expected to see boulders falling down on them as had happened to the Titans.

The fighting had been almost nonstop for two days now and the demigods were stumbling around like they were drunk (which was very possible as Dionysus/Bacchus' kids were often found running around and handing out flasks). Even the gods were tired. All of them had decided to forsake the Ancient Laws to help their kids and fight monsters.

Poseidon's Cyclopes army was fighting with their general Tyson in the lead and all of them were charging around causing havoc and yelling, "Peanut Butter!" And, "For Poseidon!" The wind gods were helping by deflecting any air-borne weapons away from the gods' forces. All of the gods' armies were helping. Hephaestus had built nearly five-hundred automations, and the Hunters were often found running small hit-and-run raids on Gaea's army under Artemis' orders.

Greek Fire was burning among the lines of Gaea's army, burning dozens of monsters and momentarily stopping the onslaught. Arrows from the Hunters and Apollo's kids flew through the flames, lighting up and always finding a target. The Romans had a defensive shield wall up and were very slowly trying to march forward to push back the relentless waves of monsters. The Greeks were firing arrows over the Roman line and into the monsters the other side and the gods themselves were on the front lines with the Romans.

All demigods under the age of nine were back at the camp that had been set up in an attempt to protect them from the war. The Argo II was also back at the camp, hovering fifty or so yards above the tents as the seven fought with their parents. Nico and Luke were fighting side by side on the front lines and easily forcing back the monsters that charged at them.

The war had been like this the entire time and the gods had made no headway. Gaea's army seemed endless and the Doors of Death weren't closed, whenever monsters were killed they just reformed instantly. The gods' army was slowly decreasing whilst Gaea's stayed the same. Olympus was fighting a losing battle and everyone knew it.

A cry went up from one of the Greek demigods, "Tsunami to the east!"

Nearly the entire army turned to Poseidon whose jaw dropped when he saw the massive wave of water heading straight towards them. "It's not me," Poseidon muttered.

Zeus who was standing beside Poseidon shot him a look, "What do you mean it's not you?"

"Maybe it's Percy!" Another Greek demigod cried out.

"I wish it was," Poseidon said loudly, "but there is no way he can make a Tsunami that big."

The disappointment in the demigods was obvious as the whole battle came to a standstill. The Tsunami was making its way rapidly across the plain and seemed to have no intention of slowing down. Then the left side of it collapsed inwards. As it came closer, four figures were visible that seemed to be surfing on the top. Two of them looked like they were having fun, whilst the other two seemed to want to be on the ground. The Tsunami crashed straight through Gaea's army, leaving a path of golden dust behind it. The four figures slid down the back and landed lightly on their feet.

"Percy," Poseidon muttered, "but he couldn't have made that wave."

Zeus was about to say that Poseidon had kelp for a brain, but then he realised that his brother was right. "How…?"

There was silence for several seconds, and then Percy grabbed Annabeth's hand and walked forwards a few steps. "Before you jump to conclusions," Percy said, "hear us out first."

"Percy?" Poseidon asked as he walked forward a few steps, "What are you talking…" He trailed off when he focused on the beings standing behind Percy and Annabeth. Or, more specifically, the twelve foot tall immortal beings behind them, "You!" He exclaimed when he realised who one of them was, "What are you doing here?"

"Dad," Percy said impatiently, "let us explain." Poseidon frowned slightly and reluctantly nodded, but he still glared at the immortal. "This is Oceanus, and this is Iapetus," Percy said and immediately the gods raised their weapons. Percy quickly took a step back so he was completely between the gods and two Titans. "Stop," Percy said loudly and clearly, "without them we would have died in Tartarus."

The gods slowly lowered their weapons and Zeus stepped forward to speak, "Remove your helmets, Titans."

Oceanus smiled slightly as he reached up and removed his deep sea blue helmet. Iapetus copied his elder brother and tucked his helmet under his arm. "A lovely warm welcoming," Iapetus said sarcastically, "having the sticks that all of you call weapons pointed at us when we came to help."

"Why do you want to help?" Athena asked, "Gaea's your mother, isn't she?"

Oceanus frowned slightly, "She may be our mother, but parents mean nothing in our family. Your father and his siblings know that well enough with their father."

"He's right," Hades muttered.

"Though it is amusing," Oceanus smirked, "the similarities all of you have with him."

"We are nothing alike," Zeus scowled.

"Theron said the same thing," Iapetus grinned, "and you should be pleased that he inherited the most from your father. But you have his paranoia, and his authority."

"No, I don't," Zeus said stubbornly.

Oceanus and Iapetus supressed their smiles, "Apparently you also have his stubbornness."

"I am nothing like Kronos!" Zeus yelled angrily. The temperature dropped and clouds gathered above, Oceanus and Iapetus looked at each other nervously. Percy pulled Annabeth closer to him.

"Do not say his name," Oceanus hissed, "if he finds out we have disobeyed his orders and come to help you…"

Zeus swallowed nervously, "You act like he's alive."

"Technically, he is," Iapetus said, "his essence was not scattered as you believed. No, he is in Tartarus. It takes him a long time to reform on his own."

"We've gone off topic," Annabeth said, "as you've hopefully realised by now Oceanus and Iapetus are here to help."

The gods nodded and lowered their weapons. There was silence for several seconds then Oceanus said, "If only our siblings were here."

"If they were here they would attack us," Hera said.

Oceanus smirked, "Actually, they are still very protective over the 'black fortress' as you call it, and once they find out that the giants are using Othrys as their base…"

Iapetus shook his head, "Do not try, fish face, our brothers would sooner destroy Olympus than help it."

"I know, Bob," Oceanus grinned, "I was not going to try."

"My name is not Bob," Iapetus scowled.

"And mine is not fish face," Oceanus retorted.

"Maybe not," Iapetus smirked, "but you do sometimes look like a fish."

"It is called a merman, brother," Oceanus said stiffly, "I do not turn into a _fish_."

A Roman demigod suddenly cried out, "Incoming!"

The gods' eyes widened as a boulder fell from the sky. It had been fired from the peak of Othrys, Oceanus chuckled, "Pathetic," he sneered. Iapetus flicked his wrist and a wall of shadows rose up in front of the army, effectively stopping the boulder in its tracks as it shattered when it touched the wall. Oceanus made water vapour in the air wrap around the pieces of rock and sent it flying back at the giants who were readying another boulder. The next boulder was destroyed by a lightning bolt that shot down from the clouds above. Ares quickly yelled, "Forward!" The army of around seven thousand beings marched forward, Percy and Annabeth ran to join Luke and Nico as Poseidon watched the Titans cautiously. After millennia of nearly nonstop fighting with Oceanus he was more than a little nervous to have the oldest Titan helping them and Oceanus knew that. A silver spear formed in Iapetus' hand and Oceanus unsheathed his sword. Then, with fierce war cries, the two Titans leapt into battle.

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**Next chapter - Revived**

**Sorry it was a small chapter**


	31. Revived

**Son of Kronos: Keep up the good work loved this so far and the original / Firstly, i like your name :p. Secondly, thanks.**

**One more review til 20! Come on, just one more.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own HOO**

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**Chapter 31 - Revived**

Theron drifted in and out of consciousness. One moment he was being carried and voices were muttering around him, the next he was laying on his bed in Othrys. Sometimes there would be voices and when he woke up again, there was no sound at all so that he thought he was deaf. One thing was always the same: the pain in his chest that was slowly subsiding every time he woke up. Theron hadn't been surprised that Kronos had nearly killed him, not really. What he was surprised about was that Koios had stopped Kronos from killing him. It made him think that what his father had said three weeks ago about the Titans putting their lives on the line to help him was true. He was annoyed and relieved about it. Annoyed because it was as if the Titans thought he couldn't protect himself, and relieved because he knew they would be by his side until they faded.

Theron had a lot of time to think whilst he lay on his bed with beings occasionally hovering over him. The Fates also apparently decided that they would show him the past. Theron saw him and the other council members running through the black marble corridors of Othrys, the walls shook and collapsed as rubble rained down on the Titans who were desperately trying to get out of the black fortress. When they finally emerged from the fortress, the gods were in front of them and quickly attacked, leaving no time to recover from the near death experience.

Theron knew what time that was from, just before the final battle in the First Olympian War, when his siblings had launched hundreds of rocks at Othrys. Many Titans and civilians of Othrys had been buried alive whilst the beings that had managed to make it out before they were crushed under tonnes of marble were immediately attacked by the gods. Theron had been one of the last to make it out, he had fallen over and his father had come back for him just before he was buried.

The next vision The Fates showed him was a weapon made of Othryian Iron. The weapon seemed to shift shape from a trident, to a scythe, to a sword, then a spear and many more various types of weapons. The weapon hadn't been seen in a long time and was likely still in its vault beneath the original Othrys throne room. It was called 'Titans' Blade' because that was what it was. The blade was made near the beginning of the Titans' rule when Koios foresaw that Othrys would one day fall. Each of the fourteen Titans that were alive at that point had put some of their very essence into making the weapon and the wielder could control any of the domains of those fourteen. Kronos had had the weapon locked beneath the throne room in a vault where no one but the fourteen Titans knew it was still waiting for the Titans to return to it.

Theron didn't know why The Fates showed him those visions, but made sure that he filed them away to think about later as he woke up. He was in his room in Othrys and no one but Theron was there. He had nothing covering the upper half of his body, and when he looked he knew why. A white bandage was wrapped around his chest and supporting his ribs and he also had another bandage covering his right arm, Theron managed to sit up and twisted slightly, wincing when the dull ache in his chest increased tenfold.

Theron slowly stood up and pulled on a golden top that was beside the bed. The armour that he had been wearing was on one of the mannequins around the edge of his room and it showed no sign of the golden ichor that had previously been covering it. Theron walked to the door to his room and tried to open it, only for nothing to happen. "Locked," he muttered in disbelief and looked around for anything to pick the lock with. He remembered that he used to have a bag full of lock picks in his room and had soon found some. If Kronos knew he had them, he would have them taken away as Theron used to get in a lot of trouble with just one lock pick.

Theron soon discovered that he was out of practice when it came to picking locks. Five minutes and dozens of broken picks later, the door finally swung open and Theron strode out into the corridor. He knew where all of his aunts and uncles would be, and he had something to tell them concerning his recent dreams.

It didn't take long for Theron to reach the throne room. The doors swung open of their own accord as he approached and the discussion stopped immediately. Theron held his head high and evenly returned the various glares directed at him as he made his way towards his throne. He bowed mockingly to Kronos as he passed the King, and planted himself on his throne.

"How did you get out of your room?" Kronos demanded, "I am sure I locked it."

Theron's response was to show Kronos the remaining lock picks he held. "You should invest in better locks, Lord Kronos."

Kronos banged his head against the headrest of his throne in annoyance and Rhea gently said, "Stop that, Kronos, you do not have the brain cells to spare." Kronos looked up at the constellations in the ceiling and sighed.

"So," Theron grinned as he looked around at the Titans in the room, "what did I miss?"

"Two days," Koios said dryly, "and several arguments concerning Kronos' violent tendencies."

Theron grin fell, "Two days? I was unconscious for two days?"

"Two of your ribs were broken," Rhea said softly, "you should have stayed in your room. There is a reason we locked the door."

"I would have stayed in my room," Theron admitted, "but I have something to tell all of you."

"If it concerns helping the gods, I am not interested," Hyperion scowled and several Titans agreed.

"It concerns what is currently hidden underneath the throne room on Mount Othrys," Theron said grimly and he instantly had the Titans' attention.

"What about it?" Phoebe asked warily.

"Your mother knows about it, does she not?" Theron asked. He now knew why The Fates had shown him that dream. "The giants are currently using Othrys as their base at Thessaly. All of Othrys is in ruins, but that is changing as we get stronger, and soon the path to the throne room will be cleared. Gaea would have told the giants about the blade, and they will search for it. Mark my words, they _will _eventually find it, and when they do, they will destroy Olympus and we will be next."

The Titans were silent for several minutes and Kronos was struggling to supress a smile at how easily Theron had changed the views of his siblings. Kronos eventually broke the silence, "All in favour of marching the army to Thessaly and recovering Othrys?" He didn't say that they would have to help the gods to do that, and he didn't need to. All of the Titans knew what they would have to do.

"Actually, father," Theron said, "I say only the Titans go. If we need any of the army we can call on them to come."

"Who will lead the army while we are gone then, nephew?" Eurybia asked.

"The demititans can," Theron said firmly.

"Very well," Kronos said, "all in favour?"

Surprisingly, Hyperion's hand shot up first. Theron quickly realised he was relishing the idea of another war and didn't really want to march to Thessaly, but there was going to be more action at their birthplace. The next hand also surprised Theron. Kronos slowly raised his hand, and Theron quickly decided that he would forgive his father for almost killing him as he raised his own hand. The other Titans slowly raised their own hands.

Kronos didn't bother counting, "It is unanimous." Theron tried to hide his triumphant smile as Kronos continued, "Hyperion… tell Atlas to gather the army together to prepare them if we need any reinforcements."

"Half of the army, Lord Kronos?" Hyperion asked as he stood up.

"No," Kronos said after glancing at Theron, "the whole army will ready themselves to march to Thessaly. It is time to show mother that we will not stand by whilst she desecrates our home. Sisters," he turned to said beings, "gather the Titans together and inform them of our decision. We march in three days. Council dismissed." The mentioned Titans flashed out to do their jobs, and only Koios, Krios, Theron and Kronos remained.

"What of us, Lord Kronos?" Krios asked. Theron was slightly annoyed at how easily the Titans slipped into 'flatter the King to gain a higher position in the army' mode.

"We are going to lock down Othrys," Kronos grinned and summoned his battle armour and scythe to him.

"Brother," Koios said nervously, "if we flash the giants will know. And we will incinerate several hundred half-bloods."

"That is why we are not going to flash," Kronos said, "Theron will fire travel us there."

"I will?" Theron asked.

"Yes, you will, son."

"Apparently I am fire travelling us," Theron said cheerfully, "and considering my ribs are hurting, you can blame Kronos if we land somewhere we do not want to."

"Just do it, son," Kronos said Theron started to fire travel and the Titans quickly grabbed him so they would go with him.

They reappeared in the throne room, which was good, and about twenty feet in the air, which was bad. Theron cursed as the nine foot drop sent a sharp pain through his ribs.

"That was not so bad," Krios said as he stood up from the crouch he had landed in.

None of the three Titans replied - they were too busy looking around them. Luckily, all fourteen thrones were still intact, but the same couldn't be said for the throne room. An incredible amount of energy came from below them and Kronos' gaze was fixated on the entrance to the vault, the marble table in the centre of the throne room would split in half and reveal stairs leading down.

"Not now, father," Theron said as he placed his hand on his father's shoulder, "it is safer leaving it here rather than bringing the Titans' Blade with us."

Kronos nodded and turned away from the table to face the doors (or what was left of them). Theron tried to ignore the state of his birthplace, but the evidence of that night was everywhere. The boulder that had smashed through the south wall right next to the doors, the crumbled marble that used to be the east wall, the battle plans written down on the black marble table, and the musty smell that seemed to be everywhere.

Theron cocked his head to the side as the faint sound of fighting reached him, "There is a battle happening at the moment so the giants are likely to be occupied fighting the gods."

"And Oceanus and Iapetus," Kronos growled, "when I get my hands on them…"

"Brother," Krios said, "you can continue daydreaming later. We need you to do it as soon as possible."

Kronos thought for a moment, "I can revert just the throne room as we had planned, or I can revert the whole of Othrys."

Koios frowned, "You will be too tired after to do anything."

"Not if Theron helps," Kronos shook his head.

Koios looked wistfully around him and nodded, "If you think you can then do the whole of Othrys."

Kronos looked at Theron who grinned and the two of them placed their hands on the remains of the doors to the throne room. A golden fog descended over the room as the entire fortress started glowing, softly at first and then brighter as Kronos and Theron worked together to effectively revert the entire mountain and everything on it to a state where nothing was damaged, to the time the Titans were at their strongest.

It took several minutes, at the end of which Theron and Kronos promptly sat down as soon as physically possible. Theron looked around and grinned, "We did it!" He yelled in excitement. "Look, father, it's like it was seven millennia ago!" Theron looked down at his right hand and grinned, a small flame of Greek fire came to life, and it slowly grew bigger as it rose up to the constellation ceiling and passed straight through it.

Krios and Koios were looking around in amazement. The walls were shining and no longer in ruins, the fourteen thrones were humming with energy, and Othrys seemed _alive._ Kronos scrambled to his feet and stumbled off like he was drunk, muttering, "Lockdown, lockdown." He made his way over to the marble table and carefully moved the battle plans to the side before summoning his scythe and sticking the butt into a small slot that went diagonal to the ground. There was a whirring sound that sounded like a plane taking off and the Titans winced slightly at the sound, it was more evidence that everything hadn't been used in millennia. Theron began to think that the marble table would explode or take off, but eventually the motor sound settled down and became a quiet humming.

A hologram appeared from the bottom up, showing Othrys and the surrounding area. Kronos chuckled before touching a few places, mainly the part showing the throne room. His fingers hesitated a second before touching one of the options that came up, 'FULL LOCKDOWN'. The Titan King grabbed his scythe on the way out of the throne room. He turned around once he was out of the throne room and grabbed one of the doors. Theron helped Kronos whilst Krios and Koios took the other door and forced it closed. Kronos then placed his hand on the outside of the door and muttered a few words under his breath. The Titans stood back and watched as a bar slid across the doors, preventing any unauthorised entry.

"We should go," Theron said quietly, "the front doors still need to be locked." His three uncles nodded and the four Titans set off at a dead sprint through the fully revived Othrys.

* * *

**Next chapter - Need A Miracle**

**So in school today i started making up shipping names for the Titans since i was so bored... lets see who can guess who each of them are shall we?**

**Kriybia**

**Phoeios**

**Theion**

**Tethnus**

**Clytus**

**Styron**

**Rhenos**

**Persia**

**Astros**


	32. Need A Miracle

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson &amp; Heroes of Olympus**

**Chapter 32 - Need A Miracle**

Iapetus and Oceanus had been at Thessaly for two days. The moral of the Olympian army had increased greatly when Percy and Annabeth had arrived, then again when they saw Oceanus and Iapetus charging through the monsters like they were flies. None of the demigods were used to having the two Titans around. It helped that despite Hades taking over Iapetus' domain, the two Underworld rulers quickly became friends because of their joint ability of summoning the dead. With Iapetus' help, another two thousand undead rose from the Underworld to fight, and Iapetus' undead were far more violent than Hades' in fights. Oceanus and Poseidon tolerated each other, but Poseidon couldn't forgive Oceanus for destroying his palace and feeding his armies to the Kraken. Oceanus was often seen talking to Athena, Amphitrite, Triton, or Zeus.

Just fewer than twenty demigods had died. It would have been a lot more, but Hephaestus and Vulcan's kids had, with the god's help, been making armour that was incredibly strong, yet light enough for the demigods to wear all day if they had to. Hephaestus had originally attempted to replicate the armour that Iapetus and Oceanus were wearing after he had seen Iapetus being hit by a Laistrygonian giant's celestial bronze club and get up again immediately with no sign of the blow on his armour. Understandably, Oceanus and Iapetus had refused to allow Hephaestus to use their armour to make more – it was the armour of the Titans for a reason.

It was nearly dark in the evening when Oceanus sensed an immortal travelling. Iapetus met his eyes across the battlefield and frowned slightly before starting to wade through the monsters around him to get to Oceanus. Hades and Small Bob the _spartus_ followed Iapetus and protected his back as the monsters surged forwards. Oceanus chopped the head off three dracaenae, two empousa, five hellhounds, and obliterated a drakon before Iapetus was fighting alongside him.

"You felt that?" Iapetus asked.

"Yes," Oceanus said, "someone is here."

"What happened?" Hades asked as he stabbed a hellhound that pounced at him.

Oceanus hesitated slightly as he kicked away a dracaenae. "Where is Zeus?" A lightning bolt struck down a nearby group of harpies, "Never mind." Oceanus strode off in the direction of Zeus, Iapetus and Hades at his flanks. Poseidon, Percy, Annabeth, Zeus, and Jason were all where the group of harpies once stood.

"Call for everyone to regroup," Oceanus said immediately.

"Why?" Zeus asked, "We are winning this attack."

"With your force you can only hold out," Iapetus shook his head, "you will not be able to win this war. You are just prolonging the inevitable."

"Great encouragement, Bob," Percy said.

"It was not supposed to be encouragement. It is a fact." Iapetus turned to scan the battlefield, "Listen to us. You have to call a retreat, before anything…" Iapetus' gaze had landed on Othrys. "Brother," the Titan's voice was shaking, "tell me that is not a boulder rising out from Othrys."

Oceanus snorted in derision, "That is not a… that is a boulder."

"Impossible," Iapetus muttered as he watched the fortress. Slowly the battle was stopping as every being saw Othrys glowing golden. "This is not possible."

Oceanus watched as a boulder rolled down the mountain and crushed several dozen monsters, then another flew out of what he knew was the throne room and landed in the middle of the battlefield.

"What's happening?" Zeus asked in shock at seeing Othrys seemingly miraculously reviving itself.

Oceanus tore his gaze from Othrys and shared a look with his brother, "This explains what we felt a few minutes ago."

"Indeed it does, brother." Iapetus said, "Zeus, clear the sky." Zeus frowned slightly, but made the clouds dissipate. The whole of Othrys was revealed. With the red and yellow sky behind it, Othrys looked incredible. The polished black marble stood out against the sunset behind it. The fortress hung over the battle field, casting a massive shadow across the plain of Thessaly. There were fourteen towers, one for each of the council members and all of them were shining as if they were newly made.

"It's incredible," Annabeth muttered.

Iapetus slowly turned to face Oceanus, "There are only two beings that can do this and they have to work together to make Othrys exactly like it used to be."

Oceanus cursed under his breath, "Call for a regroup." He looked over the battlefield before something green caught his gaze, "Is that… Greek fire?"

"What's happening?" Athena was making her way over with most of the other gods at her heels.

Oceanus looked at Iapetus who nodded slightly, "Two beings have the power to rewind time," the Oceanus Titan said bluntly. "If they can do this then they are somewhere on this plain. Then there is the Greek fire in the sky, Theron would have done that."

Zeus' eyes widened, "You told us Kronos was reforming."

"He is our little brother," Iapetus said in amusement, "we have to protect him somehow, do we not? Is it just me or is the Greek fire forming some words?"

"What does that say?" Percy asked, "It's in a different language."

"We mill run again," Zeus said in confusion.

Oceanus laughed, "Considering the last time you heard any of The Old Tongue was when you destroyed Othrys that was a reasonably good translation."

"It was terrible." Iapetus said in amusement, "It says 'We Will Rise Again'."

"We will, we will, we will rise again," Apollo sang quietly and quickly noticed the immortals looking at him like he was mad. "Sorry, that could be a song."

"I've heard enough about you and your songs, Apollo." Artemis said in annoyance, "Oceanus, you said that Theron and Kronos are _here -_ as in on this plain?"

"Or they are up there," Hades said looking at Othrys, "there are four beings at the entrance." Everyone looked up at Othrys, and then turned to face Oceanus and Iapetus.

"Who are they?" Athena asked.

"From left to right," Oceanus said and bit his lip slightly, "Krios, Koios, Theron and… uh, Kronos."

The battlefield had descended into complete silence, Gaea's army watched Othrys nervously as the gods shifted slightly. "What are they doing?" Poseidon muttered.

Oceanus and Iapetus watched as the Titans grabbed the doors and forced them closed, Kronos then placed his hand on the doors and a large beam moved across, stopping any entry into the black fortress. "Kronos is locking Othrys down," Oceanus muttered.

"What?" Hermes asked, "Is that even possible?"

"Locking Othrys down, no one is allowed in or out without Kronos full permission," Iapetus explained, "it usually happens only in times of war."

The gods paled and Iapetus nodded, "Our siblings have finally chosen a side in this war."

A voice rang across the entire plain of Thessaly and most of the gods paled even more at the voice. "Othrys is ours!" Kronos bellowed furiously, "If you think that you have the rights to it because you are our giant half-brothers then we will burn your entire army to the ground and leave no survivors!"

Oceanus chuckled quietly, "I think that means we will not be helping mother."

"That leaves a three-way war, or helping Olympus," Iapetus muttered. The four Titans on the peak of the mountain all disappeared in a column of green flames.

"We need to prepare," Athena muttered, "if the Titans turn this into a three-way war then we will be slaughtered. We need more weapons and more armour for the demigods, more automations and as many immortals as we can find."

"What if the Titans help us?" Ares asked.

"Honestly," Athena said, "chances of that are a thousand to one."

"Then we need a miracle," Dionysus muttered.

Oceanus frowned slightly and was about to speak when he heard the sound of a single arrow. He quickly ducked and the arrow embedded itself into Athena's shield, Aegis. The immortals quickly looked around for the culprit. It was Artemis who saw them, "There, on the small rise," the goddess of the Hunt pointed.

Oceanus raised his eyebrows, "I thought they would have gone."

"They tried to kill Athena!" Zeus shouted.

Iapetus laughed, "Theron is our best archer. If he had wanted to kill Athena then she would have died."

"Why would he fire an arrow at me if he didn't want to kill me?" Athena asked.

Oceanus swiftly grabbed the arrow shaft and pulled it out of Aegis. The arrow head was twice as heavy as a normal one and the fletching side of the shaft was thicker to balance out the weight. "It's hollow," Oceanus murmured and swiftly snapped the arrow in half to reveal a scroll hidden in the shaft. Oceanus read it under his breath and scowled at the paper.

"What does it say?" Athena asked nervously.

"Chances that are a thousand to one are often classified as miracles," Oceanus read and frowned at the two Titans across the plain. Theron was sitting on the ground with his bow beside him and a quiver of arrows on his back, Kronos was standing up and studying the battlefield with Theron leaning against him.

"What are they doing?" Hera asked nervously. As they watched, Theron looked up at Kronos and seemed to be speaking to him. Kronos replied and Theron grabbed his bow from beside him, taking out an arrow and firing in a split second.

The arrow thudded into the ground at Oceanus' feet and the Titan picked it up, snapping it in half to read out, "Always scout a battlefield before a battle."

"It's going to be a three-way war," Zeus decided, "Kronos would never help us. None of the Titans would be willing ever help Olympus – they are far too stubborn."

Another arrow was shot at Oceanus' feet, "Kronos says shut up." Oceanus' raised an eyebrow, "And apparently Theron says good luck, we will see you in three days." All of the immortals looked back at the rise to see that Kronos and Theron had disappeared.

"Either Kronos really wants to confuse us, or he is trying to tell us something," Iapetus said in annoyance, "immortals, he is an irritating brother."

Oceanus frowned down at the notes in his hand before scrunching them up, "No point thinking about it now. We have a war to fight."

The battlefield was starting to come alive again at the disappearance of the Titans and with battle cries the immortals dived back into the fight with the demigods right behind them.

* * *

**Next chapter - Death Valley**


	33. Death Valley

**Hobo: i wonder if it is possible for Kronos to not try and kill the olympians / you'll have to wait and see :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO and/or HOO**

* * *

**Chapter 33 - Death Valley**

Theron shouldn't be surprised that Kronos was in a foul mood. He had had to grab Kronos and forcibly fire travel them away before the Titan King charged down the hill to batter Zeus' head in. Theron wouldn't have minded, but he knew from their one small look at the battlefield that if the Titans didn't help, then the gods would fall within days if that. Kronos had disappeared as soon as they landed in Othrys, probably to go release his anger on the army. Theron had his first opportunity since arriving back at Othrys to get away from his relatives, no one was around and Theron took full advantage of that as he flashed his armour off of himself, shrank down to six and a half feet, and fire travelled away.

He reappeared in the River Styx. At first tremendous pain raked through his body as the Styx started dissolving him where he floated, but the pain quickly receded almost immediately. The voice of Styx echoed all around him, "I will not harm you, Titan, never again."

Theron looked around through the murky water and noticed how when he concentrated the river seemed to clear before him. The weird part was that he could feel the water of the Styx touching him, and by all rights he should be burning up within contact with the deadly river of the Underworld. But instead, the water felt cool as it curled around him, its touches gently caresses that felt like Styx herself. "I am sorry," Theron said to the water around him, "I tried to come sooner, but my father has been keeping a sharp eye on me. Apparently he has reached his limit with the amount of times I have betrayed him." Theron honestly hated how he always betrayed his father and Othrys. He hated it when he failed Kronos and his father gave him that disapproving look, but didn't punish him in any way because he know Theron would do it again no matter what he did - like he had done earlier that morning.

"I don't mind," Styx said softly, "you came back eventually like you promised. Now come down, and I can heal your wounds – again." Theron grinned and started swimming down towards the bottom of the Styx where he knew Styx would be waiting for him. The water seemed to react to his excitement at seeing Styx again after more than a month with no one but his father and the other Titans for company and he found himself being propelled along so fast that the water felt like wind whipping his face.

"Your excitement is contagious, Titan," Styx said in amusement and Theron felt a tingle down his spine, either Styx was messing with him, or he imagined her gentle touch running down her back. Theron saw a door form in front of him in the river and quickly made his way inside, the door shut softly behind him.

"Styx?" Theron called, "Where are you?"

"In your room," Styx replied and Theron ran off, navigating the halls of Styx's small home easily from millennia of walking down them. When he came to his room, Styx was already set with clean water, bandages and several massive chunks of ambrosia to heal him with. "Lie down on your bed and stay there until I'm finished," Styx ordered.

"Yes, ma'am," Theron grinned and quickly did as she had ordered.

In no time at all, Theron's shirt was off and on the floor and Styx had removed the bandage covering his chest to reveal purple bruising. Styx set to work, finding out which ribs had been broken and checking that they were healing correctly and without any complications. Once she had done that, she poured the water over his chest and snapped her fingers, turning the water into ice and making Theron start cursing from the freezing temperature. Though he quickly shut up when she kissed him. Styx pulled back and handed him the ambrosia which Theron slowly ate. "What is the ice for, exactly?" Theron asked in annoyance, "It is freezing."

Styx smiled softly and sat on the edge of his bed, "The ice is to reduce the swelling while the ambrosia heals your ribs. Once your ribs are healed the bruising will also heal and I can remove the ice."

"Can you not remove it now?" Theron scowled, "Please?"

"No," Styx said, "unless you want to continue having broken ribs and so can't fight in three days at Thessaly."

"How do you know about that?" Theron asked in confusion, "As far as I am aware no one has told you."

"My presence is even down in Tartarus, Titan," Styx laughed.

"You have been stalking me," Theron said incredulously.

"I have been watching you to make sure you don't die." Styx corrected, "I would hate for you to die once we have finally gotten together."

"What do you mean 'finally'?" Theron asked in amusement, "How long have you liked me for?"

"Your bruising has gone done," Styx said and flicked her wrist so the ice turned into water that ran down Theron's chest and soaked into the bed.

Theron grinned and rose so he was sitting beside Styx, "I can never thank you enough for what you have done for me, both in the past and present."

Styx stood up and grabbed Theron's hand, "Follow me," she said and started to lead him out of the room. Theron let himself be dragged along by the river nymph as she made her way to her front door.

"What are we doing?" Theron asked.

"You'll see," Styx replied.

"What if I do not want to know?" Theron asked in slight annoyance.

Styx smiled and turned to look at him, "You were spoilt when you were younger, weren't you?"

"Why do you think that?" Theron frowned.

"Because you are used to getting your way all the time," Styx said softly.

Theron thought for a moment, "I guess I was spoilt."

Styx smiled and pecked him on the lips. "You're cute when you think," she said once she had pulled away.

"I am?" Theron asked.

"Yes, your eyebrows get all scrunched together and your eyes seem to shine," Styx said as she opened the door to go outside into the river Styx. Theron was suddenly aware that he had not picked up his shirt again and it was likely still on the floor of his room.

"Come on, Titan," Styx called as she disappeared out the door, "are you a coward?"

Theron grinned and quickly followed her, finding himself floating in the river as the door that he had exited shimmered before disappearing. He looked around for Styx and saw her floating several feet above him. Theron rose up to meet her and she eagerly pressed her lips to his. Theron's hands rose up around her waist and her hands circled round his neck. Theron had missed being with Styx over the last few weeks, and was happy to be with her again. But this time Oceanus wasn't around to stop them.

Theron felt himself getting wet, but the river was not harming him and felt cool as they kissed. He did not realise how much he had missed being around her, how she made his heart skip several beats whenever he looked at her. The way she made him enter a dazed state just by touching him, and how much he loved her had never happened before with any other women. He had been with so many women he had lost count, from mortals to demititanesses and even some Titanesses, and none of them had made him feel this way. It was new to him, and from the moment he first saw Styx, which was several days after her birth, he had felt an attachment to her.

After what seemed like an hour, they eventually stopped and gasped for breath. Theron held Styx close to him and rested his chin on her head as they floated through the Styx. "How long do we have?" Styx asked.

"I do not know… three hours at most?" Theron muttered. "Your river is really quite deep." He said as he looked down, the bottom of the river had disappeared and the surface was several dozen feet above them.

"My river has claimed many souls. From dead mortals that have wandered into its surf, to alive demigods that have tried to claim my blessing. Only few of them have been pure of heart enough to even have a chance at surviving, and only a handful of the pure beings have the will to find an anchor." Styx said. "Hundreds of souls have died in my river, and many more will die in the future."

Theron smiled, "I have done far worse. I used to wander the surface sowing destruction. Wherever I went, monsters followed. Back then monsters had no such qualms about killing mortals as they do now. I am responsible for the death of thousand if not millions of mortals."

"The ashes of the dead rest on the bottom of my river," Styx said quietly.

Theron pressed his lips to the top of Styx's head, "Then we are alive, here in Death Valley."

Styx pulled Theron down so she could reach him, "You need to be smaller," she murmured as she brushed her lips across his.

"Stop teasing me," Theron groaned. Styx laughed and Theron took the opportunity to pull her closer and kiss her. Styx's hand twisted in his hair and his arms circled her hips.

He only realised they were slowly rising through the Styx when they breached the surface and a voice yelled, "Holy Mother Nyx!" Theron quickly pulled away from Styx and positioned himself between the voice and her. "What in the name of Tartarus are you doing?"

Theron avoided looking at the ferryman, "Charon, my old friend."

The ferryman looked down at the two immortals, "What do you mean 'old friend'? I have never seen you before now."

Theron grinned up at him revealing his golden eyes. "Are you sure about that?"

"Lord Theron!" Charon exclaimed and hurriedly bowed, "I apologise, my Lord, I didn't know it was you."

"No harm done, my old friend," Theron said dismissively.

Charon looked confused, when Charon did ferry runs for the Titans, Theron was a lot different. "You aren't annoyed?"

"No," Theron said in amusement, "should I be?"

"No, no," Charon quickly said, obviously remembering Theron's famous temper, "it is good to see you again, Lord Theron. And you too, Lady Styx." Charon bowed his head to the two immortals.

"Charon," Theron said seriously, "you did not see this."

"What do you…"Charon raised an eyebrow as he realised what they were doing. "It depends," Charon said, "Hades doesn't pay me very well," he hinted.

"Still on about money?" Theron grumbled, "Fine," he summoned a bag of thirty septims to him and threw it up to Charon, "I believe this will suffice for you to stay quiet."

Charon looked inside the bag and his eyes widened, "Septims," he murmured, "I haven't seen a single one in decades. This will fetch a pretty price. Each septim is worth five drachma in the current currency."

"You saw nothing," Theron said warningly.

"My eyes were closed." Charon agreed, "But, Lord Theron, is it true what I have heard?"

"What have you heard?" Theron asked warily.

"That the Titans are…" Charon hesitated and looked around as if to check that no one was listening. "Marching to war."

"Not a word to anyone," Theron hissed.

"Of course, my Lord," Charon bowed, "my lips are sealed." The ferryman but his paddle in the river and continued on without a backward glance.

"So," Styx said as Theron turned back to her, "where were we?"

"I believe we were about to take this to a bed," Theron grinned wolfishly.

Styx laughed and pulled him down into the Styx, "Why use a bed?"

* * *

Theron woke up to a voice in his head yelling, _"Where in the name of Tartarus are you?"_

Theron looked around. He was lying on the riverbed of the Styx with Styx in his arms. Both of them were naked. _"Nowhere in particular," _he replied.

"_Wherever you are, get back here immediately," _Kronos ordered, _"I do not care what you are doing."_

"Oh, good," Theron muttered and said in his head to Kronos, _"I will not take long." _Kronos' presence retreated from Theron's subconscious and he immediately relaxed. If Kronos had tried to see what Theron was doing… he did not want to think of the consequences.

He carefully moved, trying to not wake up Styx, but she stirred and turned to face him, "Where are you going?"

"Kronos called," Theron said quietly, "I have to go. Something has come up."

"When will I see you again?" Styx asked.

Theron thought as he untangled himself from her and stood up, "In two days we will be at Thessaly, so likely after the war."

Styx stood up and shook her head, "I will go to Thessaly."

"Are you sure?" Theron asked carefully, "I know you can handle yourself in a fight, but that does not mean you will not he hurt."

"I am sure," Styx nodded, "I will fight beside you at Thessaly."

Theron grinned, "Then I look forward to fighting alongside you, my Lady."

"You aren't planning on leaving like that, are you?" Styx asked as she looked at Theron. "The Titanesses might start getting the wrong idea."

Theron blushed as he realised he was still naked and quickly summoned on his top and a pair of jeans. "Of course I was not."

Styx laughed and summoned on some clothes herself, mainly to stop Theron staring at her. "Get going, Titan."

"Are you kicking me out?" Theron asked in amusement.

"Just go," Styx said, "your father will be even more annoyed with you if you take any longer."

Theron sighed and nodded, then bent his knees and shot up through the river. He burst out of the water and landed on the bank, and as he ran a hand through his wet hair he tried to fire travel into Tartarus. He was blocked. Obviously Kronos' reason for wanting him back was bigger than he had expected. Theron quickly started sprinting to get to the main entrance of Tartarus. He ran towards the Wall of Erebus and jumped at it, finding almost non-existent handholds to use. In no time at all he had reached the top and jumped, growing to eleven feet as he did so. Theron landed in a roll and was soon up again, charging towards Cerberus. As soon as the three-headed dog saw him, he howled and alarms immediately ringing. Theron cursed and as Cerberus bounded towards him, two of his three heads snarling and one whining. As Cerberus pounced at Theron, the Titan dived to the side and scrambled around the hound as his paws slipped at the sudden chance of direction. Theron continued towards the entrance of Tartarus, but every step was also taking him towards Hades' Palace.

Cerberus was still howling as he bounded after Theron and the alarms were so loud that he could barely hear his own thoughts. The Furies were circling above Theron and he could see undead with muskets making their way towards him from Hades' Palace. He was running straight towards them. Theron dived to the ground as Cerberus sailed over him. The hound turned around so he was facing the Titan, saliva dropped from his three heads and a loud growl was building up in his throats. Theron skidded to a stop before he ran straight at the hound and looked around for another way to get to Tartarus. The shadows thickened beside Cerberus and a twelve foot tall god stepped out of them. The immortal looked shocked as he saw Theron standing there.

Theron's eyes narrowed and he summoned StormWraith to his hand. His armour formed over his clothes. "Hades," Theron growled.

* * *

**Next chapter - Problems**


	34. Problems

**No reviews? Thanks guys. Feeling the love here...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or HOO.**

* * *

**Chaper 34 - Problems**

Theron and Hades studied each other. The god looked worn out, whilst Theron was fresh and 'rested'. Hades was very surprised to see his older brother in his domain. The mere thought of Theron being in front of him, in the Underworld, with oddly wet hair, when twelve hours ago he had been at Thessaly was preposterous. "What are you doing here?" Hades asked incredulously.

"I am trying to get to Tartarus," Theron growled, "and if you and your bloody dog would get out of my way I will happily continue."

Hades' eyes narrowed, "What are you doing in the Underworld?"

"That is none of your business," Theron scowled.

"You are in _my _domain, Theron, and I want to know what you are doing here," Hades said sharply.

Theron laughed, "I do not have to tell you anything." His voice hardened, "Now get out of my way."

"Unless you tell me what you are doing then I will order all of my subjects to attack," Hades threatened.

"Unless you move out of my way I will attack," Theron said in the same tone.

Both of the immortals glared at each other until Hades said, "I believe you are surrounded, brother, it would be wise to surrender."

"It would also be wise for you to hire some more guards," Theron smirked.

"Why?" Hades asked, "My current ones are perfectly fine."

Theron snapped his fingers and ordered, "Sleep." All of the monsters promptly collapsed to the ground and started to snore.

Hades' eyes widened fractionally and he summoned his armour and stygian iron sword. "Attack him," Hades ordered the undead that were surrounding Theron.

Simultaneously, all of them raised their muskets and fired. Time slowed and Theron dived to the ground, making the bullets shoot past him and hit the soldiers the other side of the circle. In several seconds, Theron had managed to disable the monsters serving Hades, and had made the soldiers commit euthanasia.

"Come on, _brother,_" Theron said smugly, "do not hide behind your slaves. Fight me yourself if you are not a coward."

Hades readied his sword, "What about you?"

"I do not need anyone to fight for me," Theron grinned.

"That's not what Hera said when she came back to Olympus several months ago," Hades said in amusement.

Theron growled and charged at Hades. Hades was surprised at Theron's speed. He had not thought that Theron could move so quickly, the Titan was a blur of gold as he leapt towards Hades. Hades quickly stepped to the side and StormWraith slammed into the ground, cracking it from the strength of the blow. Hades quickly decided that he did not want to be hit by his brother's trident. Hades lunged, trying to get in a quick hit near the beginning of the fight, but Theron twisted his body so that the sword missed him by several inches. Theron kicked out at Hades and the god was sent flying several dozen feet away. Hades expected Theron to attack him, but when no such attack came he looked around for the Titan and saw him sprinting away in the direction of Tartarus. Hades quickly rose to his feet and summoned the shadows to himself, shadow travelling so he was in front of Theron and slashed at the Titan. Theron's instincts kept him alive as he dived to the side as soon as Hades appeared and the god's slash went wide.

"Stop it!" Theron shouted, "I need to get to Tartarus!" Hades' response was to continue attacking him. Theron scowled and flicked his wrist, a wall of force erupted from him and Hades was sent flying across the Underworld again. Theron scrambled to his feet and continued running, seeing the tunnel that would lead to Tartarus in front of him. It did not help that Kronos had not spoken to him again, he was getting very worried.

Hades was starting to wonder why Theron was so intent on getting to Tartarus as he once again shadow travelled to him. Theron growled as he saw Hades reappear several dozen feet in front of him. He was starting to get very annoyed with his younger brother. He realised his fault too late. The tunnel to Tartarus was essentially made out of shadows.

Hades raised his hands and the shadows raced across the floor to Theron, detaching from the walls surrounding him and making him slide to a stop. Theron raised his trident and lit the tip on fire, but the shadows did not retreat as Hades was controlling them.

"Last chance, Theron," Hades called.

"No!" Theron shouted, "It is my business what I do!"

Hades made some complicated hand gestures and the shadows raced towards Theron who tried to fight them off. Whenever he sliced through a shadow it parted before his weapon then solidified immediately after. The shadows wrapped around his arms and legs, effectively restraining Theron as several wrapped around StormWraith and wrenched the trident from his grip.

Hades looked pleased with himself as he started walking towards Theron. The shadows parted before him like a river does for a rock and Theron tried to free himself as the god approached. Annoyingly, the shadows did not move a single inch as Theron struggled.

Hades looked at Theron in concern, "Brother, stop this madness. It's not like you."

"How would you know what is me and what is not, Hades? The only times we have ever met are in war." Theron spat, "And you are _not_ my brother."

"I am your blood brother," Hades said, "whether you like it or not."

"A brother is someone that stands by your side no matter what you are going through." Theron snapped, "Blood does not matter. Atlas, Perses, and Lelantos are my brothers, not you."

Hades frowned and reached towards Theron's hair, "Why are you wet?"

Theron went cross-eyed as he watched Hades' hand. "Once again, that is none of your business, _god._"

Hades sighed, "You are intent on not telling me anything?"

"Yes!" Theron shouted, "So let me go right now!"

Hades shook his head, "Oceanus and Iapetus are worried about you."

Theron's eyes widened and he started thrashing around, "You cannot force me to go to Thessaly! I have to go to Tartarus!"

Hades was beginning to think that Theron had gone mad in the six or so months since they had last seen each other. "I only want to help you, bro-" Hades cut himself off at seeing Theron's glare, "I mean Theron."

Theron laughed, "You sound like beings do when they are about to do something the person they are speaking to will not like." His eyes narrowed as he looked at Hades sharply, "If you dare then I will-" Whilst Theron was distracted Hades moved quickly. Before Theron had finished speaking Hades had managed to get behind him and wrap his right arm around the front of his neck and placed his left arm behind Theron's neck.

Since Theron's arms were still restrained he could not defend himself as Hades slowly applied pressure to his carotid artery. Theron tried to jerk his head back and hopefully knock Hades out, but Hades had positioned himself where Theron's head could not reach.

Theron's struggles rapidly became weaker as the ichor flow to his brain was cut off. Hades was wary of doing this as he knew if he held the position for too long then Theron would die, but it was the easiest way of getting the Titan unconscious.

"I am sorry, Father," Theron murmured as everything turned black.

When Hades felt Theron go limp he immediately let go and flicked his wrist, the shadows retreated back to the walls and Theron would have fallen if Hades had not caught him. Hades stumbled slightly, not expecting Theron to be so heavy, but the Titan was in full battle armour so he should have expected it.

Hades slung Theron over his shoulder and the shadows flocked towards them as Hades shadow travelled to Thessaly. A gust of wind shot down the tunnel once he had gone and the walls shook as the Primordial of the Pit chuckled in amusement.

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**Next chapter: Captive**

**Small chapter... sorry. Next chap will be extra long, I swear it on the River Styx.**

**So Theron has run into trouble and the next few chapter will see him 'bonding' with his siblings along with a lot of important plot. **

**Reviews are appreciated and i will answer any question you want about me (as long as you ask it in the review and it isn't stalkerish (is that even a word?)).**


	35. Captive

**Still no reviews, huh? Are you all abandoning me?**

**Not much plot in this one sadly... but everything Theron has done comes back to bite him in the butt.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO and HOO only the plot from quite a few chapters back all the way to the end of the story :)**

* * *

**Chapter 35 - Captive**

"Gaea's army won't die!" Athena exclaimed, "We have tried everything, from scattering the dust to firing it sky high towards the ocean. The monsters keep coming back!"

"Jeez, Athena," Apollo said, "lighten up."

"Do not tell me to 'lighten up', Apollo." Athena snapped, "We are going to lose this war if we don't find a way to kill these stupid monsters."

"Apollo is right, Athena," Hermes said, "relax! If these are our last days why spend them not having any fun? Where is the fun in that?"

"Apollo and Hermes, stop annoying Athena. She needs to concentrate." Hestia said, "Go annoy Zeus if you insist on doing something."

"No thank you," Zeus said, "I'm fine as I am. Go irritate the Titans, I'm sure Oceanus and Iapetus are bored."

"No way!" Hermes shouted, "Last time we did that they attacked us."

"They had good reason to," Hera sniffed, "you are annoying."

Oceanus and Iapetus were watching in amusement as the gods argued back and forth and Athena tried to concentrate on the war map over the noise. She was trying to devise battle plans for them to, but she did not know the numbers of Gaea's army and they kept coming back to life. Until the Doors of Death were closed the Olympians had no chance.

Oceanus sighed and shared a look with Iapetus, the older Titan walked over to Athena. "Move the left flank further to the left, that way they can come around in a scissor movement. The monsters will be surprised if it is quick and effortless."

Athena looked at the Titans with slight surprise, then looked back at the map and realised that Oceanus was right. She quickly moved the flank to the side and Oceanus smiled slightly, "You are a prideful goddess so a simple thank you is beneath you?"

Athena frowned down at the map, "Thank you for the advice." Oceanus and Iapetus sat down in some of the chairs scattered around the raised table.

"You forgot that Iapetus and I have worked alongside our oldest nephew for millions of years. Battle plans are a second nature to us."

"I thought they were our third nature," Iapetus said in amusement, "after our Instincts and actual fighting skills."

"Fine," Oceanus said, "they are a third nature to us."

"Where is Hades?" A voice called and the Titans looked up to see Poseidon striding into the tent.

"I don't know," Zeus said, "I haven't seen him for several hours."

"I thought you wanted a meeting. How can we have one if not everyone is here?" Demeter asked, "Not that I'm against Hades not being here."

Hephaestus stopped fiddling with several pieces of metal in his hands and looked up, "Can't we get started? I need to make one hundred sets of armour by the end of the week – assuming we live that long."

The gods immediately sobered up and Zeus frowned slightly, "I guess we can-"

He was cut off when the shadows in the tent converged on a single point in a vortex of darkness and Hades stepped out. He turned to Hephaestus immediately, ignoring the other gods. "I need a metal pole that is more that sixteen feet tall, but will still fit in this tent and a celestial bronze rope in no more than twenty seconds." Hephaestus nodded and erupted in a column of red flames.

"Hades, why do you need that?" Zeus asked in confusion.

"I had a security breach in the Underworld," the gods of the Dead said smoothly. Hephaestus reappeared holding a massive eighteen feet tall pole with celestial bronze rope over his shoulder.

"Where do you want it, uncle?"

"In the ground," Hades said, "deep enough that it will be nearly impossible for a Titan to remove."

Oceanus raised an eyebrow, "Why that deep?" Hephaestus shrugged and slammed the pole into the ground, making it sink two feet down. Hades then reached into the shadows still swirling in the corner of the tent. He pulled out a limp figure in black and gold armour. Iapetus and Oceanus shot to their feet and Oceanus' chair toppled over.

"What in the name of Tartarus!" Oceanus exclaimed, "What have you done, Hades?"

"He attacked me," Hades defended.

Oceanus gritted his teeth and his hand rested on the sword at his side. "If you have done anything to harm him, then I will not hesitate in ripping your head off clean from your body," the Titan threatened.

Hades nodded and carried the figure over to the pole, leaning him up against it and tying his hands together behind his back with the rope that Hephaestus wordlessly handed him. Oceanus sighed and shook his head as he made his way over to his fellow Titan with Iapetus behind him.

"Hades," Zeus said, "would you care to explain why you just tied someone that obviously Oceanus and Iapetus care about to a metal pole?"

"Because he attacked me," Hades said, "and I found him trying to get to Tartarus through my domain."

"You could have taken his armour off," Iapetus scowled at the god of the Dead, "do you know how uncomfortable armour is when worn for days on end?"

"Shut up and help me, Iapetus," Oceanus said then muttered under his breath, "Primordials know if we leave him like this our brother will have our heads on a pike." His hands moved in sure, practiced movements as he carefully took off the armour of the Titan in front of them. Oceanus had been the Titan that had cared most about him when he was younger, except from his father. After less than two minutes all that needed to be taken off was his helmet. Oceanus hesitated before muttering under his breath. The gods did not hear the reply, but there obviously was one as Oceanus slowly eased off his helmet.

The gods' jaws dropped when they all saw the golden eyes glaring at them. "Hades," Poseidon said warily, "why have you tied Theron up?"

Theron scowled at Hades. "I would like to know that too."

"You attacked me," Hades said, "it's not my fault that you lost."

"I did not attack you," Theron said in annoyance, "I forced your monsters servants to go to sleep. It was you that attacked me."

"And you lost?" Iapetus asked jokingly, "What would your father say?"

"Hades cheated," Theron said bluntly.

"No, I didn't," Hades argued.

Iapetus grinned, "He used everything he had to his advantage."

Theron gave his uncle a withering glare and Iapetus' grin quickly fell. "He cheated," Theron repeated.

"What I want to know is why Theron is tied up," Oceanus said in annoyance as he straightened up and sat down in his chair. "As far as I am aware, he has done nothing wrong."

Hades frowned, "I don't know." The gods gave him incredulous looks. Iapetus shook his head slightly and sat down in his chair beside Oceanus.

"So you tied him up for no reason?" Hestia said in annoyance.

Hades hesitated. "It was like someone was speaking to me."

"So you tied me up for no reason?" Theron asked in annoyance. "I have not done anything to deserve this… well recently anyway."

"Hades, release him," Zeus ordered.

Hades nodded and quickly moved to untie Theron, but Apollo stood up. "Stop," he said.

"Apollo?" Zeus asked in confusion.

"He's lying," Apollo muttered.

Theron frowned in bewilderment. "What have I done?"

Apollo thought for a moment. "Is it anything to do with Olympus?"

"I do not know," Theron shrugged.

"Say yes or no," Apollo said, "then I can tell if you are lying."

"He does not know he is lying," Oceanus muttered.

"How do you know?" Athena asked.

"His eye twitches when he lies," Oceanus said in amusement, "just like his father's does. It is why we call him 'Junior' sometimes."

Theron scowled, "You do not call me that often."

Apollo interrupted their conversation, "Does what you did have anything to do with Olympus?"

Theron sighed and decided to just answer his questions, "Yes."

"I thought you said you didn't know what it is?" Athena said curiously.

"I do not," Theron said as he tried to get comfortable, "but the answer is either going to be yes or no, and I honestly do not know what I have done."

"The two things that he just said were true," Apollo announced.

"Oh, great," Theron muttered and rested his head against the pole behind him.

"Was it within the last year?" Athena asked.

"I have not had my memories returned to me until this last year, have I?" Theron scowled, "So yes."

"How many things have you done?" Demeter asked.

"This is like an interrogation." Theron muttered, "If I do not know what I have done how can you expect me to know how many things I have done?"

Athena leaned forward in her chair, "Think," she pressed him, "I'm sure you will find out."

Theron raked his brain and after almost two minutes he paled slightly. "If I have tried to kill someone several times, does that count as one or the amount of times I have tried to kill them?"

Several of the gods' eyes narrowed and Zeus immediately said, "The amount of times you have tried to kill them."

Theron was silent as he mentally counted up how many times he had tried to kill Percy and Annabeth whilst they were in Tartarus, "Over three things."

"True," Apollo said. "You seem to know what you did. How many things in total have you done since recovering your memories?"

"Does everything I did in the Battle for Manhattan count?" Theron asked warily.

"No," Zeus said, "we know what you did then."

A grin grew on Theron's face, "What about reviving a Titan?"

The gods looked at him incredulously. "What?" Ares spluttered.

"You heard me," Theron smirked.

"No," Zeus said, "it doesn't count, but I would like to know how many Titans are currently alive."

"All of them," Theron said, "every one of us have been waiting out the war in Tartarus for the last few weeks."

"If all of you have been intending to wait out the war then why were you, Koios, Krios, and Kronos here yesterday?" Athena asked.

"Yesterday?" Theron asked curiously, "Oops," he muttered, "no wonder Kronos was annoyed with me."

"Again?" Iapetus asked in amusement.

"I fell asleep!" Theron defended himself.

"How many other things have you done except from trying to kill someone?" Poseidon asked.

"Two or three," Theron shrugged.

"Just one more question," Athena said carefully, "who was it that you tried to kill?"

Theron's grin fell and he averted his eyes to glare at the ground as his jaws clamped together. Oceanus laughed bitterly, "So you did not regret doing it at the time, but now that you have to deal with the consequences you feel sorry?"

"It was not me," Theron defended, "I was-"

"It was you, Theron. No one but yourself can get you to do something."

"I was following my father's orders!"

"Who did you try to kill?" Poseidon asked.

Theron scowled at him, and as he was annoyed with Oceanus he did not think about the recklessness of when he was about to do. His golden eyes seemed to bore straight into Poseidon, "Perseus and Annabeth."

The gods froze and Poseidon and Athena looked at each other. Poseidon was the first to explode, "You what?" He yelled.

"Perseus and Annabeth were the two beings that Kronos ordered me to find," Theron said, "so I did."

"You did more than that, nephew," Oceanus scowled, "why do you not tell them all that you did?"

"What do you mean, Oceanus?" Athena asked warily.

"I am sure you would like to know how he tried to kill them."

"Oceanus," Iapetus muttered, "what are you doing?"

"Theron needs to learn that he has to think for himself," Oceanus said quietly. Iapetus shook his head slightly, but did not argue.

"How did you try?" Athena asked Theron.

Theron looked at her in amusement, "You think I am going to tell you when the outcome will not be beneficial to me?"

Zeus turned to Hermes, "Fetch Perseus and Annabeth for us, son."

Hermes quickly nodded and strode out of the tent to find the two demigods. Theron sighed and leaned his head back against the pole with his legs straight out in front of him as his eyes flickered from one immortal to the next. Ares and Aphrodite had shamelessly continued what they were doing before Hades had dragged him in – they were making out. Most of the gods were watching him warily, now aware that he had tried to kill two of their children. Whenever Theron's gaze landed on Zeus he felt an unparalleled amount of rage enter him and his younger brother was incredibly lucky that the Titan's hands were (literally) tied, as if Theron were able to he would throttle Zeus for what the god had done to him. Theron had a particular hatred for his brothers, the 'Big Three'. Zeus had electrocuted him and cut up _his _father. Poseidon was unpredictable and refused to listen to orders – he had also overthrown Oceanus despite the Titan of Oceans not fighting in the Titanomachy. Hades was Theron's favourite brother, at least until recent events.

Theron greatly preferred his sisters to his brothers. Even now, all three of them were smiling in his direction. Hera and Demeter did not care that he had tried to kill two demigods. No, he was their eldest brother and no matter how he acted that would not change. From Hestia, however, Theron could sense her disappointment in him and his actions, but she still thought of him as her oldest brother, as he did with his other two sisters.

Hermes entered the tent after several minutes of silence. Theron's ears picked up the sound of voices approaching and he shifted slightly as nine demigods slipped inside the tent and walked until they were in front of the gods.

"Theron!" Percy exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"

"I was immortal-napped by Hades," Theron said dryly.

"Annabeth, what happened in Tartarus?" Athena asked, "Or, more specifically, how many times did Theron try to kill you?"

Annabeth glanced at Oceanus who nodded, "Go ahead."

Percy grabbed Annabeth's hand and grinned at her reassuringly before turning to look at the gods. "Why do you want to know?"

"So we know what he has done and whether we should release him or not," Poseidon said.

"We all know I am not going to be released," Theron said in amusement, "so stop pretending otherwise."

"Perseus, Annabeth, what did he do to you?" Zeus asked sharply.

Percy looked at Theron with slight regret in his eyes. "He sent some empousai after us and we would've died if Bob hadn't come. He then sent the Arai after us and we once again would've died if Bob wasn't there to help."

"I almost did not help," Iapetus admitted, "that was when my memories completely returned."

"Do not forget Arachne," Oceanus rumbled.

"Arachne," Theron muttered, "lovely monster you created, Athena. She actually has a brain and _uses_ it. But, I did not tell her to attack. Arachne chose to jump at the demigods, and you, Perseus, annoyingly decided to kill her."

"If I didn't kill her then Annabeth would've died!" Percy exclaimed.

"Tartarus is all about Survival of the Fittest, Jackson," Theron said. "Annabeth would not have been able to fight off Arachne had she been alone, and so by all rights Annabeth should be dead."

Percy's hand tightened around Annabeth's and his eyes narrowed. "I thought you wanted to help us, but now I see that Hyperion is right about at least one thing. You are a traitor, Theron."

Theron stiffened, "Jackson, I was just following orders."

"We do not follow your father's orders," Oceanus said.

"And where has that gotten you?" Theron snapped, "The two of you are being hunted down as we speak, and with me here Kronos will soon find you. How do you two like being outcasts?"

"That covers two of the three ways Theron tried to kill you. What was the last one?" Athena asked.

Annabeth glanced at Theron before speaking. "He found Percy, Bob, Small Bob and I at the swamp of Damasen, the giant born to oppose Ares, and started leading us through Tartarus. We had no clue he was leading us into a trap until it was too late."

"A trap?" Poseidon asked, "Set by who?"

"Whom," Athena corrected automatically.

Poseidon shot her an annoyed look, "Not the time, Athena."

Oceanus looked at the gods warily. "A trap set by Kronos, Krios, Koios, Hyperion, and I." Before the angered gods could attack Oceanus quickly continued, "I did the only thing I could in that situation, I went to stop Hyperion from killing them outright as he tried to. If I had not gone, our brothers would have known that something was wrong."

Poseidon nodded slightly and turned to Theron, "You led them straight to Kronos?"

Theron hesitated before nodding, "I did."

"Then when Kronos asked for the vote of whether we should let them go, keep them in the dungeons, or kill them, which did you vote for?" Oceanus asked, "Your vote was the deciding one." Once again, Theron's mouth clamped shut. "I can easily tell the gods myself, nephew. I think it would be better if you say."

"I did not know what to do," Theron said desperately, "I panicked."

Oceanus raised an eyebrow, "You looked plenty calm when you voted."

"Honestly, uncle," Theron said, "how hard do you think it is to have Kronos as a father? He is constantly expecting me to be like him. One day he will fade, not even immortals last forever, and I will take over as the King. I know what all of you are trying to do, even a blind mortal would be able to see it. Yes, I voted for Perseus and Annabeth to die, but they are demigods. We are Titans and the life of a mortal passes in the blink of an eye."

There was silence until Zeus stood up. "I have heard enough." The King of the gods looked around at the immortals inside the tent. "I think what will happen is obvious, even if I don't call for a vote. But, those who think Theron should stay here for a while, put up your hand."

Every single god inside the tent slowly raised their hand and Theron slumped against the pole behind him. "Of course," he muttered.

Zeus stood up and passed Theron to get out of the tent. The Titan thought he saw a bit of regret in the god's eyes, but quickly dismissed the idea. The other gods filed out and soon it was just the demigods and three Titans in the tent.

"Theron," Percy started, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Just go, Jackson," Theron said tiredly, "no need staying here."

Percy hesitated before backing away and pulling Annabeth with him, he slipped outside the tent. The remaining seven demigods stood there watching Theron until the Titan shifted slightly, "Well? What do you want?"

"If you did all that to them, why did you save us from your father at the Doors of Death?" Jason asked in confusion.

"I have nothing against you. Jackson killed my father, Annabeth helped him. Families are messy, immortal families are eternally messy. My father is messed up in the head at the moment," Theron smiled slightly, "he does not want to admit it, but all of us can tell. When you Romans made him an alter ego, he changed. I suppose I should thank you for that. He has been so distracted recently that I had managed to get out of Othrys and into the Underworld."

Iapetus chuckled, "By into the Underworld you mean visiting Styx, correct?"

Theron grinned, "Was it that obvious?"

"For us it was, nephew," Oceanus said. "I am not sure about the gods though."

One of the demigods moved forward until he was directly in front of Theron, he then sunk down into a bow. "My Lord, it's a shame we didn't get to meet properly last war, so allow me to introduce myself. I'm Luke Castellan, the son of Hermes and former host of Kronos."

Theron smiled slightly, "I know who you are, Luke Castellan. The Titans still speak of you – you made quite a lasting impression."

"Wait, what?" Leo asked, "You _hosted_ Kronos? The time guy that tried to destroy Olympus last year?"

"Yes," Theron said, "Luke hosted my father in the last war. When Kronos arose to his true form Luke was killed. I revived him."

"And the Fates were annoyed with you for breaking an Ancient Law," Nico noted.

"So if you are a child of Saturn, like Jupiter, Pluto, Neptune, Juno, Vesta, and Ceres, then why do only the goddesses seem to like you?" Hazel asked.

Theron looked at her as if he had just seen her. "Hazel Levesque?"

"How do you know my last name?" Hazel asked warily.

"My father had the brilliant idea of wiping my memories so I could go undercover and feed them information without the gods suspecting anything. Hades was the god that found me." Theron said and waited for Hazel to understand.

"Oh gods," Hazel murmured, "you were Seth."

"I did warn you not to go to Alaska," Theron said calmly, "though I guess I should thank you for going and stopping Gaea's rise by several decades."

"Why do the goddesses only like you?" Hazel asked looking slightly shaken at discovering that Theron had been Seth.

"I do not know why even they like me," Theron muttered, "I almost killed them several times."

Jason looked at Piper before frowning slightly and turning to look at Theron, "Why did you almost kill them, and when?"

"Why do you think I am a Titan, child of Jupiter?"

Jason didn't have to think for long. "You supported Kronos during the Titanomachy," he said, "why?"

"Do you support Jupiter because he is your father or because you want to?" Theron asked.

Jason hesitated for a fraction of a second, "Because he is my father."

"Kronos is my father, and I am far older than my siblings." Theron said carefully, his father was likely to be listening with the amount of times they had said his name, one wrong word and Kronos would be even more annoyed with him. "I helped to kill Ouranos and created the dinosaurs. Othrys was far greater than Olympus will ever be, and my siblings rose up because of a misunderstanding."

"I would not call it a misunderstanding, nephew," Iapetus said, "Kronos ate your siblings."

Theron shrugged, "Understandable. They are annoying."

"No more annoying than you, Theron," Oceanus chuckled, "do you not remember what you used to be like as a Titanling?"

Theron grinned, "Of course I do. What you may not realise is that I made it my life mission to annoy all of you to Tartarus."

"You nearly did," Iapetus muttered.

"Anyway," Theron said as he looked back at the demigods, "I supported my father because he and my mother raised me, along with the whole of Othrys. He is not a bad father, but it is hard to please him."

"How old are you?" Frank asked warily.

Theron frowned and looked at Oceanus for help. "Um… Two billion? Give or take a few million. It becomes hard to remember after the first twenty million."

The demigods' jaws dropped and Theron chuckled, "Surprised?"

"But you…" Piper's eyes were wide. "You are the brother of the Big Three and their sisters, right?"

"The older brother," Theron nodded, "Kronos' favourite, Rhea's favourite, the Prince of Othrys, and current captive of Olympus," he grinned.

"Why are you so happy about that?" Nico asked in confusion.

Theron cocked his head to the side slightly then shrugged, "Being around the Titans for several months in Tartarus with nobody but the demititans and said Titans for company can get rather boring. And I have never really had the opportunity to get to know my siblings; I may as well start now." He wriggled his hands slightly and the demigods watched in disbelief as the ropes loosened enough to give him more movement. Theron chuckled at their expressions, "I have had lots of practice when it comes to getting out of restraints. Hyperion and Krios seem to take great amusement out of seeing how long it will take me to get out."

"I believe Zeus will be wondering what we are doing in here still." Iapetus said, "We should leave."

Theron nodded slightly, "Go. I will be fine here."

Oceanus hesitated as he looked at Theron, but soon strode out of the tent and was closely followed by Iapetus and the demigods. Once Theron was sure he was alone, he grinned, "I know you were listening." He said to the empty air in front of him.

"You mentioned me so many times I started to get a migraine."

Theron shifted until he was in a comfortable position and rested his head against the pole behind him. "Do not worry about me, Father. I will be fine."

A long sigh echoed around the inside of the tent. "I do not trust the gods."

"I know," Theron said, "but you must try to get past your differences with them as I am trying to do. Please, Father?" There was no reply and Theron felt the presence of Kronos retreat. He shook his head in amusement at his father's stubbornness, and settled down to listen to the conversations outside the tent.

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**Next chapter - Of Better Times**

**Theron is at Thessaly (against his will) and the gods seem intent in keeping him there for the foreseeable future. What will next chapter hold for our favorite Titan? (At least he's my favorite one anyway. Not sure about you guys.)**


	36. Of Better Times

**guest: is hades trying to get Kronos to start a 3 sided war with them cause I doubt Kronos will be extremely happy that Theron got kidnapped. But then again, it is Theron's fault. Great story keep up the good work. / Hades doesn't exactly know what the Titans are planning and all he thinks about Kronos is that Kronos hates everyone. I figured i couldn't let Theron keep getting away with things without some consequence, that was the result, and thanks.**

**Over 6000 views guys! Keep 'em coming!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any PJO or HOO canon characters.**

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**Chapter 36 - Of Better Times**

Theron had only been in Olympus' camp for a few hours, yet he was already convinced that they were doomed. One battle had broken out whilst the sun started to descend from the sky and Theron still couldn't get the ringing out of his ears several hours later.

Throughout the entire battle he could hear the cries of half-bloods and screeches of monsters as they died. The only difference was that the monsters returned almost instantly. Two demigods were standing guard outside of the tent, and by the way they were standing Theron know they were Romans. He didn't like Romans very much. They were the cause for his father's constant headaches once they had created another aspect for him – Saturn. Most of the Titans hated Saturn; he was fat, annoying, and old. Saturn was more focused addressing the very few crops growing in Tartarus than the problems in the army.

None of the giants had bothered to show themselves yet, they were content to sit back and watch as the gods and their army attempted to repel the waves of monsters. Theron could only listen as Poseidon's Cyclopes army bellowed war cries and Gaea's army returned them with equal gusto. He sensed it whenever a half-blood was injured, and three hours into the battle after trying to block out the sounds, he decided to try to tip the scales in the favour of the gods.

Theron concentrated and slid his hands down the pole behind him to rest them on the ground. He focused on what he felt when surrounded by monsters, on the power that flowed through him. He remembered what Koios had once told him long ago, _"Fear is the biggest incentive a being can have… that and love. Fear and love are two emotions that make beings reckless. Strong, yes, but even more reckless. If you make your enemies fear you, victory is almost guaranteed." _

White mist started rising out of the ground and curled around Theron affectionately. The celestial bronze rope suppressed the Titan's powers to the point where it was tiring him out rapidly to do something so simple, but Theron had created the Mist. If there was one thing he had _absolute_ control over, it was the Mist.

There were cries of alarm from outside the tent as the Mist spread out, slithering across the floor like a massive snake. Theron controlled it to flow to the battlefield, converging and rolling across the ground like a river. As soon is the Mist cleared the camp he made it change shape, forming dozens of DireWolves that howled and dug their claws into the ground.

To say the gods were surprised was an understatement. A thick carpet of Mist had been stretching towards them like grasping fingers, and then it had seamlessly changed shape into dozens of massive wolves. The rear of the Olympian army turned to face the wolves, but there was no need. The wolves charged straight through the half-bloods, their forms shimmering like a mirage. The only evidence of them being there was the warmth the half-bloods felt when the wolves charged through them.

Snarls filled the air as the wolves collided with Gaea's army. They tore through the front lines – a phalanx of _dracaenae_ – and generally caused havoc. They seemed to be made of white mist, had ran straight through the half-bloods, yet destroyed the first few lines of Gaea's army.

"What are they?" Hermes yelled across the battlefield.

"I don't know," Athena muttered and the beings closest to her looked at her incredulously.

"Hermes, remember this moment as the time Athena didn't know something!" Apollo shouted.

"DireWolves," Oceanus' voice carried clearly, "but not real ones," he added when one ran through him.

"They are made of the Mist," Hecate murmured, "Mist in its purist form."

The monsters were panicking as they tried to get away from the dozens of wolves running rampant throughout their ranks. The Olympian army was watching in amusement as the monsters ran around like headless chickens in useless attempts to escape the wolves. Several monsters were screaming as they ran, which only made it funnier. "The Titan Prince is here!" A dracaenae screamed, "Run for your lives!" The gods looked at each other as the whole army started to run from the wolves, trampling each other in an attempt to get away faster. The DireWolves charged after Gaea's army, tearing at the backsides of the monsters until the creations of the Mist shimmered and evaporated.

"Porphyrion will not be happy," Iapetus rumbled.

"Good," Oceanus smirked, "maybe this will make some of Gaea's army flee the war."

"What was that?" Ares asked in confusion. The half-bloods looked like they weren't sure what to do and were still standing with their weapons out.

Iapetus snickered, "That, war god, was Theron deciding to help."

The gods' eyes widened and Athena frowned slightly, "How can he help? He is tied up. His powers should be supressed."

"They are," Iapetus grinned, "but he is the Titan Prince for more reasons than just being the son of Kronos, and many advantages come with that position." The temperature dropped and the shadows thickened, but the moment quickly passed and Iapetus acted as if it hadn't happened.

"Wait a minute," a Roman demigod said, "there's another Titan here?"

"Yes," Oceanus rumbled, "one of the few of us that can defeat Kronos is battle. He is the one that just saved all of your sorry _malákes__._"

"What does that mean?" The same demigod demanded, "I'm not a _Graecus_."

"It means assholes," a Greek demigod grinned.

"I didn't think the Titans knew Greek," Athena commented.

"We do not," Oceanus smiled slightly.

"But you just said a Greek word," Apollo pointed out.

Oceanus waved his hand dismissively, "I know some words, but not very many. We learnt some Greek and Latin so we would be able to insult you if we crossed paths," he admitted.

"Who is we, exactly?" Hera asked.

"The Titans, "Oceanus said in amusement, "who else would it be?"

"Just checking," Hera muttered and raised her voice, "and who would you say learnt the most?"

Oceanus and Iapetus looked at each other before saying in unison, "Kronos and Theron."

Iapetus laughed, "If you ask Kronos why he hates all of you so much he goes into an hour long rant in Greek, the Old Tongue, and Latin."

Oceanus snickered and strode in the direction of the camp, Iapetus quickly followed him when he realised where his brother was going. "Where are you going?" Zeus asked.

"To check up on our nephew," Oceanus smiled, "knowing him he used too much energy doing that little magic trick and killed himself."

Iapetus shook his head slightly, "Kronos will have our head on a pike sooner than we can apologise if that happens."

Zeus and the gods decided to follow the Titans. The King of the gods was slightly worried that there was a chance Theron could have killed himself driving away Gaea's army. On the way towards the tent, the air shimmered in front of Zeus and dark blue water that was almost black crept out of the ground, flowing to create the shape of a goddess.

"Styx?" Zeus asked in shock then hurriedly bowed his head. "No offence, but what are you doing out of the banks of your river?"

Styx gestured with her hand. "Rise, Zeus, you need not bow to me. I may be the personification of the river Styx, but I am a nymph."

Zeus looked hesitant as he knew what the river Styx could do, but he stood up. "You didn't answer my question."

"I have come to help," Styx said gently, "I heard that my father and uncle were here helping you."

"Your father…" Zeus was confused for a moment as he tried to remember Styx's parents, "Oh, right, Oceanus."

Oceanus had seen what was happening and was striding back towards them, when he saw Styx he looked pleasantly surprised. "Daughter," he called, "I was not expecting to see you here."

"Word of Olympus' plight is reaching the furthest reaches of Tartarus. Last I heard Damasen the giant was considering helping too and the Titans are gathering their numbers." Styx said, "It is really no surprise I have come."

"Wait, what did you say about the Titans?" Iapetus asked.

"You do not know?" Styx asked carefully.

"No one has told us anything," Iapetus said in annoyance, "not a single word from anyone. That includes Kronos' usual angry comments."

"Theron managed to convince his father to march. The Titans are planning on coming to help," Styx said, "all twenty two of the ones currently in Tartarus."

Oceanus winced slightly, "Actually, there are twenty one Titans in Tartarus. Three of us are here."

"Who else is here then?" Styx asked.

"Theron is here," Oceanus said, "Hades found him in the Underworld some hours ago. Before you do anything foolish – Styx! Come back here!" Oceanus shouted as Styx took off towards the tent Theron was in.

"You are in trouble now, brother," Iapetus snickered, "you know how she feels about him."

Oceanus shook his head and sprinted after Styx in time to see her duck inside the tent Theron was in. Aphrodite looked at Iapetus, "What do you mean, 'how she feels about him'?"

Iapetus smiled slyly and followed Oceanus into the tent, the gods all following him. Iapetus walked straight into his older brother's back as soon as he ducked inside the tent and caught himself as Oceanus gave him an annoyed glare. Iapetus snickered once he saw the position Theron and Styx were in. Theron's back was pressed up against the pole and his legs were shaking slightly which showed how much energy he had used in his stunt with the Mist. Styx had risen to a height of ten feet and eleven inches, five inches smaller than Theron. Her hands were intertwined in his onyx hair and both of them seemed completely oblivious to their surroundings as their lips moved in sync.

Oceanus cleared his throat and Theron's middle finger immediately shot up. Iapetus chuckled at the expression on Oceanus' face and their nephew's complete lack of respect. The Titan of the Underworld looked over his shoulder to see the gods' reactions at what was happening in front of them. Most of them were wide eyed and open mouthed, but Aphrodite looked incredibly happy as she watched the couple. Oceanus sighed, "Nephew, I do not like to be ignored."

Theron managed to pull up from Styx slightly and grinned, "It is not like a have a choice, uncle. I am tied up. Of course, it is not like I am complaining." He leaned down towards her again and Oceanus sighed.

Iapetus snickered at Oceanus' attempt to stop the two younger immortals. Then Oceanus smiled slightly and said, "Nephew, your father is here."

The effect was immediate. Theron's head shot up and Styx leapt back before she even checked that Kronos was actually there. Oceanus chuckled, "Honestly, nephew, you had your chance to tell your father. Why did you not take it?"

Theron twisted his head round so he could see the immortals at the entrance of the tent and sighed. "You nearly gave me a Tartarus damned heart attack, uncle."

Oceanus strode forward and Styx looked at the ground between her feet sheepishly. "Sorry, father," she apologised, "I just… sorry."

Oceanus tried to stop the smile that threatened to break through his frown. "I do not mind," he admitted, "I am fine as long as you are happy. After Pallas faded you were so sad you could have been Akhlys."

"Thank you for that, Father," Styx said sarcastically.

"Anytime," Oceanus smirked and turned to his nephew, "as for you, Theron, what did you do to yourself?"

Theron had sat down on the hard-packed ground and his eyes were closed as he breathed heavily. "Why do you think I did anything?"

"You wrists are demolished, nephew," Iapetus said dryly.

Theron frowned slightly, "Oops, should have thought about that."

"What did you do?" Oceanus asked carefully.

"What do you think?" Theron snapped as he opened his eyes, "I can hear the battle, sense whenever a half-blood gets injured, and you think I did anything?"

Ares snickered, "You did that to yourself because you heard the battle? I thought you were a Titan, don't you all love fighting?"

Theron's eyes glowed in his anger and he struggled to calm himself down before he opened his mouth. "We love _fighting_, not sitting around while a battle is raging. If you want to torture a Titan, forcing them to sit out of a fight is enough. I, for one, can sense every single injury that comes from a monster. I usually try to block it out, but with my hands tied I cannot control my powers."

Several of the gods winced slightly as they realised what Theron must have been feeling during the battle. Oceanus shook his head slightly and summoned some nectar that he trickled over Theron's wrists and hands. "You have to take care of yourself, nephew," he scolded. "You are not a child anymore and cannot go around harming yourself."

Theron scowled at the ground, "Was there something you wanted other than to treat me like a child?"

Aphrodite immediately jumped at the opportunity. "How long have you and Styx been together?"

Theron raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious? Out of all the things you could ask, you choose to ask me that?"

"Anything to do with men Aphrodite will ask," Artemis said in annoyance.

Theron shook his head slightly, "Instead of asking who the Titans are planning to help in this war you ask how long I have been with Styx for?"

Iapetus shook his head slightly in bewilderment at the goddess of love's actions. "Apparently a romance is more important than them winning this war."

"What's wrong with that?" Aphrodite demanded, "Love and war go hand in hand."

Theron's mouth twitched slightly, "A few months. Not as far as immortal relationships can go, but I think how long we have known each other makes up for that."

"Why did you jump apart when Oceanus mentioned your father?" Hephaestus asked.

If Theron's hands weren't tied he would have been rubbing the back of his neck. "Because he does not know I am with Styx and will likely not approve."

Aphrodite sucked in a breath, "A forbidden romance? Even better."

Theron groaned and slammed his head against the pole, making several of the gods wince at the crack they heard. Iapetus sighed, "Nephew, that is a terrible habit to have picked up from your Father," he stated.

"We do it because you are all idiots sometimes," Theron defended.

"That is insulting," Oceanus muttered sarcastically, "you have wounded me, nephew."

"Oh, shut up." Theron grunted and frowned slightly, "Why do I sense a monster?"

The gods' eyes widened and they looked around the tent, but none of them saw anything that resembled a monster. Iapetus looked down at his feet where Small Bob the _spartus _was rubbing his head. Small Bob looked up at Iapetus before bounding towards Theron and jumping at the Titan.

Theron warily eyed the calico cat that was sitting on his legs. "Iapetus, since when did you have a cat? Or a _spartus, _whatever you want to call it."

"Small Bob," Iapetus said with a completely straight face, "his name is Small Bob."

"Small Bob?" Theron snorted, "You really were messed up in the head to name a cat after you." Her frowned slightly and inspected Small Bob who had decided to curl up against his legs. "This is one of the _spartus_ Atlas raised when he captured Artemis." He said in surprise and looked up at Iapetus, "How did you find him?"

"I found him in Tartarus when I was leading Perseus and Annabeth," Iapetus said as he studied the cat he had come to be quite attached to.

"Why did I not sense him when I found you then?" Theron asked carefully, knowing full well that the gods were still irritated with him leading the two demigods straight to his father.

"There are a lot of monsters in the Pit, nephew," Oceanus rumbled, "perhaps you did not sense the _spartus _because you are usually more focused on looking for werewolves or monsters that are actively trying to kill you."

Theron looked thoughtful as he went back to studying the calico cat that had fallen asleep beside him. His expression changed the more he watched Small Bob until the sharp glint that was usually present in his eyes faded away. His expression softened and he shifted until he was comfortable. With his head resting against the pole behind him, and aware of the immortals watching him, he fell asleep with Small Bob at his side.

Oceanus chuckled quietly, "Look at that, brother, what does that remind you of?"

Iapetus smiled softly and said simply, "Of better times." The Titan turned and ducked out of the tent with Oceanus behind him and the gods watched Theron for several seconds before joining the Titans outside. Styx knelt down beside Theron and brushed her lips across his, making him mumble her name in his sleep. With a small flutter blossoming in her chest, she joined the gods outside.

"You may have just forfeit your cat, Iapetus," Hades said in amusement.

Iapetus shrugged, "It will be worth it. Theron grew up too quickly; he was only five millennia when he helped our brother to kill Ouranos, and since then Kronos has been rather distracted." Iapetus strode off through the camp towards his tent, though he fully intended to take advantage of the cloudless sky and study the stars. The sun and the stars, two of the things he had missed the most whilst he was in Tartarus and two of the things he now couldn't get enough of. He was going to camp outside of his tent and lie down on the ground, watching the stars in the night sky as the moon illuminated the plain.

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**Next chapter - Dream Message**

**And we see a softer side of Theron emerging. A few chapters more and the Titans arrive at Thessaly...**


	37. Dream Message

**Disclaimer: I don't own the original PJO and HOO characters**

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**Chapter 37 - Dream Message **

The next day passed like the one before. Theron was stuck in the tent during a battle, but this time he had some company. Small Bob stayed by Theron's side and whenever Theron started to clench his hands, Small Bob rubbed up against him or nudged his fisted hands with his head. Theron, being the Titan of Monsters, could understand the _spartus _and had many conversations throughout the day – mainly about Small Bob's eleven other siblings that were apparently also in Tartarus.

Athena stayed in the tent most of the day as she made up battle plans, and Theron sometimes inputted his ideas. Even though Athena didn't want to admit it, he could tell that she valued his help and even moved the table she was using to lay her plans out on so that it was closer to Theron. Small Bob had quickly found his favourite spots to rest - behind Theron so that the Titan could stroke him, and on his head (which Athena found hilarious, but didn't dare to comment on).

After the battle Oceanus, Iapetus and Styx checked on Theron to see whether he had demolished his wrists again, only to see him stroking Small Bob and talking to the calico cat. The Titans had promptly gone outside again and left their nephew alone with the _spartus, _Styx and Athena.

The gods untied Theron so he could eat, but had Ares stand guard so he wouldn't try to make a run for it. Not that Theron really cared about trying to run. He was enjoying his time with the gods, though if he told Oceanus and Iapetus that he would never hear the end of it.

The sun fell below the horizon and Small Bob settled down beside Theron as the Titan shut his eyes.

Theron was hoping for some sleep, so of course he only managed to fit in three hours. It was one o'clock when he was woken up by a voice yelling, "Lady Artemis!" There was something on his head, and something that was orange and white hung over his eyes. He shook his head and felt whatever it was slide off his head with indignant yowl and a scratch across his nose. When his vision cleared, Theron was shocked to see the bundle of calico kittens lying around him. Several feet away there was also a lump of black fur that lifted up and Theron saw intelligent black eyes staring at him.

"Maverick?" He asked carefully once he recognised the hellhound. "How..?" He looked around at the twelve calico kittens lying around him and his eyes widened.

"Lady Artemis!" The voice yelled again and this time Theron recognised it as Thalia Grace, the daughter of Zeus. He immediately cursed in the Old Tongue as he realised that he would suffer even more embarrassment from his position.

Theron was torn between trying to find out how there were suddenly twelve _spartoi _and a hellhound around him, and attempting to stop Thalia from entering the tent when Artemis strode into his view with several other gods behind her. The immortals stopped in surprise when they saw the monsters lounging around Theron and the Titan noticed that Hades seemed to not be as surprised as the others.

Zeus cleared his throat and looked at Theron in slight annoyance and amusement. "Would you care to tell me why there is a hellhound that has obviously decided to relieve itself at some point?"

Theron raised an eyebrow at the puddle on the floor and turned to the hellhound. "If I knew I am sure I would tell you. Though Hades looks like he knows something," he added.

Hades smiled slightly, "I have looked after your hound for around a year now. I believe it's time he was returned to you."

Maverick the hellhound abruptly launched himself at Theron and Artemis instinctively knocked an arrow to her bow. Theron moved his head to the side in a futile attempt at escaping the hound's tongue, but soon found one side of his face licked and his hair sticking straight up.

"Down, boy," Theron ordered and Maverick immediately backed away. "Seriously, Hades?" Theron exclaimed and Artemis put away her bow once she realised the hound wasn't attacking them.

Most of the gods were laughing at Theron and Hades was watching in amusement. The god of the Underworld shrugged, "I have had enough of him running rampant through my domain and fighting over Mrs. O'Leary with Cerberus."

Poseidon looked at the kittens around Theron as his lips twitched. "And why are there kittens around you? I wouldn't have thought you liked having so many around you."

"I do not," Theron grumbled, "but I do not exactly have a choice do I? Plus, they are all _spartoi_ anyway."

"_Spartoi_?" Athena asked in amazement, "I haven't seen many before. How were these ones made?"

Theron studied the calico kittens in front of him. "Apparently when Artemis was captured and held the sky. Atlas made them by accident when a mortal brought him sabre-tooth tiger teeth instead of Sybaris teeth. I remember that," he said in amusement, "I was there when it happened. Got shot through the right leg, poisoned by that same arrow and had a lovely conversation with my cousin. Good times," he finished.

"Good times?" Demeter repeated incredulously, "You were poisoned and you say it is good times?"

Theron looked at her in amusement, "I have had my head chopped off several times before. Being poisoned does not bother me anymore."

"Your head was chopped off?" Poseidon asked in shock.

Theron was enjoying horrifying his siblings and shrugged nonchalantly, "Hyperion hates me. Kronos thinks I am annoying most of the time, and my uncles seem to take turns playing 'beat up the nephew'. "

"Yet you still like going back to them?" Apollo asked, "That's messed up." The gods mumbled in agreement.

Theron shrugged again, "The Titans are family. They raised me…" He hesitated as he thought about whether or not to continue, before he sighed, "Do you know what the first memory I have is?"

The gods shook their heads and Theron closed his eyes briefly. "My first memory is of Rhea and Themis, just after I had been born. My second memory? My father as he held me. My third memory was when my father introduced me to my aunts and uncles, and Gaea and Ouranos. My point is, Kronos _is _a good father," he said softly, "you just have not given him a chance to prove it to you."

"Lady Artemis!" Thalia finally burst into the tent to see the gods all standing still as they thought over what Theron had just said. "Bianca had a dream!"

Artemis shook her head and turned to face Thalia who was looking at the hellhound in shock before she slowly turned to face Theron, "You! Why do you keep turning up everywhere?" Thalia shouted.

"Me," Theron nodded in amusement, "nice to see you again, Thalia Grace."

Thalia gritted her teeth, "Why do you keep turning up everywhere?"

"Honestly, this time it is not my fault. Hades… _found_ me in the Underworld," Theron grimaced at the thought of being beaten by his younger brother.

"More like I beat your ass to high Me," Hades smirked.

"Come on, little brother," Theron mocked, "we all know if I had been trying to I could have beaten you to Tartarus. You just have to look at what happened in the Battle for Manhattan to know I tell the truth."

Hades looked at Theron in annoyance, "That doesn't change the fact that you are currently tied up because I beat you."

Theron gritted his teeth, but didn't answer. Artemis quickly took the opportunity and turned to Thalia, "Bianca had a dream?" She prompted, "Where is she?"

"Here, Lady Artemis," Phoebe said as she entered the tent with a pale daughter of Hades behind her, "Bianca said… well, I'd better let her explain."

Theron was slightly shocked to see Bianca again. He had only seen her through Iris-Messages as Seth for several years, and the girl entering the tent looked completely different to what he remembered. Bianca no longer wore a green floppy hat to hide herself. Instead, she stood tall and confident amongst the Hunters. When she saw Theron and recognised him, she also had the guts to storm over to him and punch him in the face. Of course, Theron barely felt it, but the Bianca he used to know would have never done that. It just served to remind him how different Theron was to Seth.

Theron slowly opened his jaw and the gods winced slightly when they heard the loud crack. "You have a good punch, daughter of Hades," he acknowledged.

"I hate you," Bianca said as if she were discussing the weather.

Theron frowned slightly as he turned his golden eyes to look at her, she shivered slightly. "And yet… I cannot hate you."

"Why not?" Artemis asked carefully.

Theron wore an excellent poker face as he studied the daughter of Hades. "I always wanted a younger sibling. I guess as Seth I still wanted one and found you and Nico, though I do not think my father would be very pleased at me introducing you two as my brother and sister."

Bianca looked at him carefully and saw there was nothing but sincerity in his eyes. "I guess I can forgive you. Sorry for hitting you."

"I deserved it," Theron grinned. "You have a good punch," he noted, "not as good as Hyperion or Kronos who each cracked one of my ribs a couple days ago, but good for a demigod."

"Kronos cracked your rib?" Demeter cried out, "Why?"

"We had a… disagreement." Theron said carefully and turned back to Bianca, "What was your dream?"

Bianca paled slightly, "I was in a place that was… for lack of a better word, terrifying. The ground was purple and was pulsing slightly. There was a black fortress in the centre of a plain which I floated into. Two ten or so foot beings were talking and one of them said, 'Kronos is angry, cousin. Have you heard the rumour going round?' The other said, 'That Theron was a stupid fool and disobeyed his father's orders again? Yes, all of us have. The gods will be lucky if Kronos still wants to help them. Hyperion is stirring up trouble amongst the council that Theron, Oceanus and Iapetus are traitors and the King is having difficulty dealing with him.'"

The gods turned to Theron whose eyes had narrowed and become almost black. "Was there anything else they said, Bianca?"

"No," Bianca said, "but they did find out I was listening."

Artemis' eyes widened and she studied Bianca to check that she wasn't hurt in any way. Theron scowled at the ground, "But you did listen in on another conversation?"

"How do you know?" Bianca asked.

"For one you just confirmed it, and listening to that conversation would not have terrified you as much as you obviously are."

"Bianca we need to know what you heard," Zeus said sternly, "you obviously heard two Titans then and we need to hear more."

"I can't say it," Bianca said as she looked at the ground.

Theron frowned. He knew Bianca had seen and heard something important and needed to know what it was. "Arke get through to Hypnos. I need you to show me Bianca di Angelo's dream," Theron ordered and the gods looked slightly confused at his words.

"Arke?" Athena asked, "I've heard that name before."

"I should hope you have," a voice echoed around the tent, "I am the messenger of the Titans. Iris is my twin sister, though we did not part on good terms. I have gotten through to Hypnos, Prince, but he demands payment."

Theron scowled, "I will pay him in a few days. Just show us the dream."

"You seem to be in a bad mood, Prince," Arke said in amusement, "would you like to tell me why?"

"Go to Tartarus," Theron retorted.

"Already there," Arke sang and a black screen appeared in the centre of the tent. Theron cursed Arke under his breath as the darkness in the screen cleared and showed what Bianca had been describing. Theron smiled slightly as he looked upon the place that had become his home. The image faded away and was replaced by a massive room with eleven twelve foot tall beings all sitting on thrones.

The gods' eyes widened. "Impossible," Zeus murmured, "for all of them to be reformed already…"

"Why you wanted to contact one of the demigods I do not know," Hyperion grumbled, "they are brats."

"The gods deserve to know," Rhea said softly, "our army is ready. All they are waiting for is the order."

The gods looked at each other and Bianca was pale as she watched.

Kronos shifted slightly in his throne and turned his golden eyes to look at Bianca. "You are terrified," he said in amusement, "good. That is good, fear is an excellent incentive."

"Kronos," Rhea murmured, "do not scare her. You are the one that wanted to contact the gods, so do not use it as an excuse to terrify their children."

"Of course," Kronos nodded, "I apologise, my dear. Any demigod would have served my purpose well, but you, Bianca, have not even met me before, unlike Jackson or your brother Nico. So I do not have an urge to sever you limb from limb and burn the remains."

"Kronos!" Rhea exclaimed, "No threatening!"

Kronos chuckled and the sound made the gods wince. "Honestly, Rhea, I am not going to harm her… though I cannot say the same for her brother and cousins."

The gods gritted their teeth, but Theron snickered. "He will not harm them much," Theron promised, "I made him promise to not kill them."

"Are you serious?" Hestia asked, "Or are you joking, because the glint in his eyes makes me think you are joking." Theron shook his head slightly as he watched the Arke-message intently.

Hyperion was running his finger along the edge of his golden blade and setting it on fire at random intervals. He sighed and set the weapon on his knees. "We have decided to fight with you, gods. Not _for _you, but _with _you."

The gods' eyes widened and Theron grinned proudly at the Titans, happy that even without him there to persuade his father they were still going to fight.

"Thank you for that, Hyperion," Kronos said dryly, "I could not have said it better myself."

"Of course not, brother," Hyperion smirked. "You can never do anything better than me."

Kronos raised an eyebrow, "Like you can say anything about that. Your way of going into battle is charging and seeing what happens. If I remember correctly, you were turned into a lovely maple tree in Central Park."

"Watch it, brother," Hyperion growled and flames spluttered into existence in his hair. "You may be the King, but that does not mean I cannot attack you."

Kronos gritted his teeth, "If the demigod were not here you would currently have Backbiter through your throat, brother. I swear it on Tartarus. So shut your damned mouth before I shut it for you," he growled.

Hyperion scowled at his golden blade on his lap, but didn't answer. Kronos turned back to look straight at Dream Bianca and frowned slightly. "Theron, since chances are you will be listening to this, you are in a lot of trouble." Theron winced slightly as Kronos continued. "We will discuss your punishment when we are face to face-"

"How about you force him to turn into a DireWolf and tie him up like a dog?" Koios smirked, "That way he will not be able to escape you again."

Kronos shook his head slightly, "And… secondly, I hope you like your new pets." Kronos then snapped his fingers and the screen went blank.

Theron scowled at the _spartoi _around him, "Great," he muttered, "Father thinks I cannot protect myself."

"You are tied up," Athena said, "sort of hard to protect yourself without being able to move."

Theron shook his head in annoyance, "And whose fault is that?" He asked looking at Hades.

The god of the Underworld smiled slightly, "Yours for attacking me."

Theron sighed, "I would rather like some sleep tonight," he said carefully, "and since I cannot move from here that makes this area my room. It also means you are intruding," he smirked and looked meaningfully at the _spartoi_ and hellhound around him. They turned to the gods and snarled, curling their lips back to reveal sharp teeth. The gods and Hunters quickly backed away from Theron who was snickering at their reactions. Poseidon caught Theron's eye before he left the area of the tent and mouthed _'good morning', _making Theron groan and incline his head at Maverick who happily lunged at the sea god and chased him from the tent.

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**Next Chapter - Freed**

**Next chapter... s**t will hit the fan.**


	38. Freed

**Disclaimer: Don't own PJO and/OR HOO**

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**Chapter 38 - Freed**

"Lady Athena!" A demigod cried as he burst into the tent, "The giants are on the move." Theron immediately stopped watching the goddess as she made battle plans.

Athena's eyes widened, "Find Zeus for me." She said before sweeping out of the tent to ready the army.

"How many of Gaea's army are advancing?" Theron managed to ask before the demigod ran out of the tent.

"Our scouts estimate ten thousand, My Lord" The demigod said and Theron nodded slightly. The demigod sprinted out of the tent to find Zeus.

Theron turned his attention to the ropes binding his hands. He knew it was time, he could sense that Kronos and the Titans were approaching the doors. The _spartoi _and Maverick hissed as they sensed what he was going to do. Theron took a breath and forced his hands apart, straining against the celestial bronze. He had to give credit to Hephaestus, the forge god definitely knew how to smith excellent quality metal. He looked around the tent for a knife or something, and his eyes landed on the one on the table that Athena used. He concentrated on the winds and sent the biggest gust he could muster (which wasn't very big with his powers blocked somewhat) at the table. The table toppled over and he stretched out his foot, managing to dislodge the dagger. He grinned and using his foot moved the dagger across the ground so he could reach it with his hands. A quick cut sawed straight through the bronze and Theron was up on his feet in an instant.

He summoned his battle armour and trident before striding out of the tent and making his way towards the battle already raging across the plain, his new pets following him. The two demigods outside the tent as guards were startled as he walked out. His wrists hurt slightly, but the ache was easy to ignore. The first immortal to see him was Demeter, and her eyes widened in surprise. Theron ignored the looks of the gods as he strode straight towards the Zeus, sweeping his trident to destroy any monsters in his way.

"Zeus," he said and the god immediately turned to fire a lightning bolt at him.

Theron raised a hand and absorbed the bolt. "Listen to me. Hold back the demigods from fighting for a few minutes."

"Why?" Zeus asked.

Theron smirked, "Because the Titans are nearly out of Tartarus."

"What?" Poseidon asked incredulously.

"Then we need to keep fighting," Ares scowled, "I'll be damned if the Titans interfere."

"Foolish god," Theron snapped, "we are trying to help you! Can you not see that?"

"What?" Poseidon asked again. "Why?"

"Othrys is ours," Theron shrugged, "and Kronos will be damned before he lets Porphyrion and his giant family take over _our _home."

"What makes you think we trust you?" Athena's eyes narrowed.

Theron sighed and summoned a septim, "Arke, show me the Titans in Tartarus."

The battle died down as slowly every being became aware of what was happening, and the giants' eyes glowed angrily when they saw Theron standing there. A black screen of mist formed in front of Theron where all the gods could see.

"- failed. With Tartarus himself opposing us we cannot get out." One of the Titans was saying.

"It is not impossible," Krios argued, "we have fought a Primordial before."

"Not in his own domain." Koios said, "We prevented our father from escaping back to the sky. Fighting the god of the Pit here, even with the twenty one of us is suicide." There was a loud crack, but none of the Titans reacted.

"I do not care," Hyperion growled, "he wanted us out of him and now that we are trying, he sends every damned monster after us."

"Not every monster," Lelantos said, "our army is still at Othrys."

"You mean what will be left of our army once he is finished with them. Which will be nothing, might I add." Perses grumbled, "All that training for nothing."

There was another loud crack and Koios sighed, "Kronos, if you keep that up chances are you will break your scythe before you break the wall." The gods sucked in a breath and Koios' head snapped to the Arke-message. "Brother, the gods are watching - and your son."

"I know," Kronos scowled as he stepped in view of the message and studied the gods. His scythe was held loosely in his right hand and the gods noticed that all of the Titans were wearing battle armour.

"Finally going to stop trying to kill a Primordial, are you, brother?" Theia asked in amusement.

Kronos glanced at her before sighing and looking out of the large cave the Titans were sheltered in. "Where is that damned giant?"

"To be fair, brother, Damasen is trying to help," Phoebe said.

A large foot stepped outside the cave and a cherry-red head peered in. "My father has moved on, Titans. It is safe for now."

"Why are we even trying to get out?" Atlas muttered, "Can the gods not fend for themselves?"

"See!" Perses exclaimed and gestured wildly towards Atlas, "Atlas agrees with me!"

"We are doing this for Othrys," Kronos said sternly as he ducked out of the cave, "so are you all coming or not?"

"He is like a slave driver," Prometheus murmured.

"Be nice to your uncle," Clymene said as she punched his arm.

"Sorry, mother," Prometheus said immediately and several of his cousins snickered only to be punched by their various mothers. Theron was the only one not punched by his mother; instead Hestia took it upon herself to do it.

"Are you fools coming or not?" Kronos called and the Titans immediately rushed outside of the cave to see him following Damasen the giant across Tartarus. The gods' jaws dropped as they saw Tartarus in all of its glory. The Titans ran after the two immortals, spearing any monsters growing in orange bubbles filled with goo.

The vaporised blood in the sky hung lower than usual and large fires were raging across the rocky surface. Black shapes darted in and out of shadows and rocky outcrops and howls rang around the area, but no monster dared to attack the Titans and Damasen.

Kronos was gripping his scythe and kept glancing at the monsters around them, knowing full well that Tartarus didn't want them to leave the Pit. Once one monster felt brave enough to attack, all of the others would soon follow and every single monster that remained in Tartarus would soon be throwing themselves at the Titans.

Lelantos suddenly stiffened, "Kronos, duck!" He yelled. The Titan King rolled to the side as an arrow shot towards him from the darkness surrounding them. The air was filled with hissing sounds and Kronos raised his hand, slowing the arrows down in time.

Kronos studied the darkness around them and saw the monsters starting to converge. "Hyperion, light them up."

Hyperion grinned wickedly and flicked his wrist. The fires already raging shifted and rolled towards the monsters around the Titans, effectively barbecuing them within seconds. The flames acted as a buffer against the monsters further out, but the Titans didn't want to take the risk. Damasen and Kronos sped up into a jog and the ground shook as the Titans quickly caught up.

"The monsters won't stay back for much longer, Titans." Damasen warned, "Even with Hyperion keeping up the flames they will eventually get through."

Kronos' sharp golden eyes pierced the dark mist surrounding the immortals. "I am more worried about when your father decides to stop watching us."

Perses snickered, "Tartarus is too lazy to bother with us."

"Watch your tongue, cousin," Metis warned, "I would rather all of us make it out of here today."

"We have been travelling for nearly three hours, yet have seen no sign of him." Perses said, "Surely that makes him a little lazy?"

"Perses," Kronos growled, "shut up."

"Sorry, Kronos," Perses muttered.

The Titans were jogging in silence for several minutes. Around them the monsters mostly kept pace, but Hyperion's fire wall was keeping them back. It didn't take long for them to reach the Heart of the Rivers. If you wanted to exit the Pit, you could take the small path which monsters chose to take. Or you could cross a river. The Heart of the Rivers almost completely encircled the Doors of Death, several miles away from the actual doors.

"Which river?" Eurybia asked carefully.

"I do not want to turn out like _Bob_," Krios snickered, "so not the Lethe." Iapetus scowled through the Arke-message at his brother.

"We cannot even consider the Phlegethon or Styx," Phoebe said, "we will dissolve on contact."

"The Acheron or the Cocytus then?" Lelantos suggested, "Unless you all want to take the monster's path. I, for one, would rather cross the rivers."

The Titans nodded in agreement. "Lamentation or Pain," Kronos snorted in amusement, "what a lovely choice."

Several of the Titans snickered. "Why do you not choose, brother," Koios said in amusement, "you have had your fair share of lamentation and pain recently."

"Very funny," Kronos said sarcastically.

"Go through the Styx," Theron ordered.

The Titans paused and looked through the Arke-message at him incredulously. "Your son is trying to kill us, Kronos," Hyperion decided.

Kronos studied Theron for several seconds before nodding, "Through the Styx."

"Are you mad?" Koios exclaimed, "We will be dissolved until there is nothing left of us."

"Trust me," Theron said, "I know what I am doing."

Kronos looked over the rocky purple landscape dotted with veins of the five rivers before making his way towards the river Styx. "I trust you with my life, son," Kronos said seriously, "but saying that, if I dissolve doing this then you will be reforming when I get my hands on you again."

Theron smiled slightly. "You are just wasting time, father."

Kronos' scythe shimmered and disappeared as he looked into the river flowing in front of him and knelt at the bank. Hyperion rolled his eyes and pushed his brother into the Styx.

"Hyperion!" Rhea cried in panic, "You could have just killed him!"

Hyperion shrugged. "Better him than me, right?"

Most of the Titans shook their heads and nervously watched the black water for any sign of their king. Minutes passed and Hyperion was looking slightly sheepish as he avoided the glares of his siblings.

"Look," Lelantos said, "the other bank."

A golden figure hauled himself out the Styx, his armour steaming as he rolled onto the ground.

"Right," Theron said as he grinned, "who is next?"

Hyperion was promptly shoved into the river, closely followed by the remaining nineteen Titans.

As soon as Rhea was out of the river she ran to the still form of Kronos. She prepared herself to attempt to do CPR, but Koios just trod down on his brother's chest. A fountain of river water shot from Kronos' mouth. The Titan King still didn't move. Rhea placed her hands on the left side of his chest in an attempt to feel his heartbeat and Kronos' right hand moved to cover hers.

Kronos opened one eye and smirked up at her. "Whilst I am usually fine with you touching me, you usually refuse to do it in front of Theron."

"Immortals, Kronos!" Rhea yelped, "That was not very funny!"

"Of course not," Kronos agreed as he rose into a sitting position. His face was several inches from Rhea's and Kronos took full advantage of that as he tore off his helmet and pulled her into a quick, but sweet kiss.

Koios rolled his eyes and grabbed the back of Kronos' chestplate to haul his brother to his feet. "We need to keep moving, little brother," Koios grumbled and turned to Damasen who had just stepped across the river. "Lead the way, giant."

Kronos scooped up his helmet and firmly placed it on his head. In the distance black lightning lit up the area and Tartarus rumbled. "That is the fourteenth group," Metis muttered.

"Twenty to forty go up at a time," Theron said. "You can do the math."

Kronos sighed and trudged up the next hill, the Titans and Damasen following him. A plain stretched across the ground that seemed to go on for miles. Perses grinned, "Over the next hill," he mumbled, "then we are free of this stinking pit!"

"Perses!" Most of the Titans yelled. The gods didn't know why, until there was a sound like a high-pitched whine. The sharp rocks on the ground shot towards the Titans and they quickly blasted them to dust with various methods.

_"Stinking Pit!"_ A voice bellowed and the very air shook from the voice's power. The Titans paled as the darkness in front of them solidified into a massive being. Skin exactly the same colour as the ground was ripped with muscle. The being was covered in traditional Greek armour which was made of stygian iron.

The Titans all sunk into bows. Perses was shaking slightly as he bowed lower than the rest. "Lord Tartarus," Kronos said in acknowledgement.

Tartarus studied the Titans beneath him. _"You are all weak,"_ he hissed. _"Insignificant, petty immortals."_ None of the Titans said anything to contradict him. The gods' eyes were wide as they saw the physical form of a Primordial god for the first time. Theron looked pained as he watched, knowing that Tartarus would not allow him to fire travel into the Pit and help.

"Father," Damasen interrupted, "let us pass. The Titans plan to stop Gaea."

_"And why should I let them?"_ Tartarus boomed. _"This is my Pit. I will do what I want! None of the Titans will pass to reach the Doors of Death!"_

The Titans still didn't reply, instead they seemed to find great interest in the ground below them. The Pit around them shook as the Primordial laughed. _"Lesser children of Gaea! My children the giants have always been stronger, taller, and more powerful_! _You are all nothing but ants waiting to be crushed beneath my feet."_

Kronos growled under his breath and rose to his natural height of twelve feet before growing in size to be fifty feet tall – twice the size of Damasen. His scythe shimmered and formed in his hand, the crescent blade twenty feet long. "We are _not _the lesser children of Gaea." He said steely calm and the Titans grinned as they all stood up too. "We are the Titans and we _will_ go to Thessaly. Not even you will be able to stop us."

Tartarus bellowed in laughter_. "And how will you do that, nephew?"_

Kronos glared at Tartarus. "I happen to know that you are weaker than you have ever been before with Gaea's army out of you. I also know that my scythe causes a lot of pain to even Primordials when injured."

Tartarus looked amused as if Kronos was a puppy that had barked for him. _"Is that a threat, son of Ouranos?"_

Kronos' right eye twitched slightly. "It is a promise," he growled.

Tartarus laughed, _"Then perhaps you wish to test yourselves, Titans. You win and you get to continue to the Doors. I win, and you stay in me unless you are allowed out by me."_

Kronos looked back at the Titans, all of whom nodded and the Titan King turned back to face his uncle. "We accept your challenge."

_"Then come, children of my brother, test your might against the strongest being alive,"_ Tartarus boomed. Kronos didn't hesitate as he charged straight towards the sixty foot tall Primordial, the Titans all swarming behind him.

There was a loud cry of pain as one of the _dracaenae _in Gaea's army decided to attack whilst the demigods were distracted. The battlefield quickly descended into chaos as the demigods fought back.

Zeus looked at Theron carefully, noting his darkened eyes and his hand clenched around his trident. "How did you get out? Actually, don't answer that. Will you fight with us?"

Theron looked at the Arke-message as Tartarus blocked the signal. Theron scowled and swiped his hand through the screen. "I will fight with you," he nodded stiffly.

Zeus smiled slightly and his electric blue eyes flickered with lightning. Theron's new pets raced off into the battle, the _spartoi_ growing in size until they were adult sabre-toothed tigers. Theron hefted StormWraith and charged with his youngest sibling at his side.

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**Next chapter - An Offer**

**The Titans are in trouble... Theron is fighting with his siblings. **


	39. An Offer

**Pleasereadmything: Thank you for updating! / sort of why i have this story up... but your welcome.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO and HOO**

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**Chapter 39 - An Offer**

Theron spared the monsters he was fighting no mercy. Everything that stood before him died in the Titan Prince's anger. Hellhounds erupted into columns of Greek fire, _Dracaenae_ were stabbed through the head, Earthborn had their arms chopped off, and Harpies were torn apart by Theron's _spartoi_ as they tried to flee. Several minutes after the battle started, Oceanus and Iapetus had fought their way to Theron's side. Zeus, Poseidon and Hades were also fighting near them and the other gods were scattered around the battlefield.

The Arai that were fighting for Gaea had seemingly decided that fighting for Theron was better than fighting against him and turned on their fellow monsters. The advantage of all the demigod deaths was that they didn't die quietly. Every single monster that had killed a demigod before and killed an Arai found itself set on fire, cut into pieces, sawn in half, or – Theron's personal favourite – aging so much and rapidly that their bones turned to dust within seconds. The Arai weren't very good fighters though, so they weren't alive for very long.

Theron stabbed a hellhound through the head and twisted to chop the head off a Cyclopes charging towards him. Maverick barrelled into a Laistrygonian giant and effectively disembowelled it. Theron sent a fireball towards a group of harpies and they quickly scattered, flying straight towards the _spartoi_.

Iapetus fought with Small Bob at his side. The cat launched itself at anything that moved and savagely ripped its throat out. Oceanus was stabbing anything that came near him, and the Big Three gods were tearing their way through the monster army. Theron punched a Laistrygonian giant that ran at him with a branch in its hand and sent it flying back several dozen feet, disintegrating as it travelled. A drakon charged at him, flattening anything in its way, and lunged towards him to earn a three-pointed stab up its throat. Theron grunted as monster dust fell around him and covered him from head to toe. A werewolf launched itself at him and was punched in the chest, having most of its ribs broken.

It was four hours into the battle when Theron realised something. He grinned and turned to Oceanus, "The monsters are staying dead!"

Oceanus looked around the battlefield and saw that the piles of monster dust were staying where they were and not rising to reform the monster. "How…? The Doors of Death are still open!"

Theron frowned as he swept his trident in front of him and killed several monsters. "No they are not. They just closed."

The battlefield rapidly darkened and storm clouds formed above the plain. The temperature dropped to nearly freezing and frost grew on StormWraith's three points. Theron looked around the battlefield to see Gaea's army hesitate slightly and the half-bloods draw back together. Then the heavens opened. Snow started falling and within minutes there was a firm covering of five inches.

"Theron!" Zeus shouted suddenly, "Behind you!"

Theron swiftly turned to see a spear heading straight towards him. He stumbled back in an attempt to get more time, but he apparently had all the time in the world. The spear slowed down before abruptly stopping less than five inches from his chest.

"Honestly, Theron," an amused voice said from behind him, "we do not see each other for a few days and you are almost killed." Theron was so startled he turned and swung StormWraith straight at the being's head. Luckily, the trident was blocked by a very familiar black sword.

Theron looked at the immortal in front of him with wide eyes. "You... but, Tartarus…"

"I thank you for your faith in us, son," Kronos said in amusement.

Theron dropped his guard and did something that if he was thinking he would have never done. He hugged his father. Kronos almost dropped Backbiter in surprise, but wrapped his arms around Theron. "If anyone asks, this never happened," he muttered as he rested his chin on Theron's head.

"Agreed," Theron nodded against Kronos, "the snow should prevent them from seeing."

Kronos chuckled, "You ready to kill some monsters?"

"I have been ready for the past few days, Father," Theron grinned. Kronos detached himself from Theron and twirled Backbiter around his wrist. He strode into the curtain of snow around them and Theron quickly followed, grinning widely. Kronos picked up speed and sprinted straight past Zeus, though Theron noticed how his hand twitched slightly as if wanting to strangle the god.

Cries of pain from the monsters struck up around the battlefield. Theron didn't know why, until a blast of fire appeared in the middle of where Gaea's army should have been. "Hyperion?" Theron asked incredulously.

Kronos smirked, "All of us are here."

"How did you get past Tartarus?" Theron asked as he lunged at a _dracaenae._

Kronos severed the limbs of several monsters before replying. "I will explain later," he promised. "Now, how many monsters were in this attack force?"

"About ten thousand," Theron said, "now there are about seven to eight thousand."

"Oh, good. This should not take long then," Kronos grinned. Theron shook his head slightly, but couldn't wipe the smile off his face as he fought beside his father against the oncoming waves of monsters.

Theron knew Olympus' army was probably terrified by the sounds coming out of the snow and echoing around. They stayed where they were for the duration of the battle, which all of the Titans were happy about as it meant they could fight how they wanted and didn't have to worry about crushing demigods beneath their feet.

It took less than an hour for the Titans to destroy the monster force. It normally would have probably taken longer, but they had been stuck in Tartarus for millennia. This battle was the first good one they had had in a long time. When there were around a hundred monsters left, Theron gestured to Krios and Koios to stop the downfall of snow. The clouds stayed where they were, but almost immediately the snow stopped and all the Titans could see Olympus' army looking at them in shock. Theron turned back to the incredibly small force of monsters which the Titans had surrounded to stop any of them from escaping. Kronos darted forward and took off the head of an empousa, and the other Titans moved in for the kill.

It was a slaughter.

In no longer than two minutes, all of the monsters were piles of dust on the floor. The Titans made their way over to Kronos, kicking the golden dust blanketing the ground as they did so. Kronos immediately cleared his throat when all of them were crowded around. "Rhea, Phoebe, Koios, Tethys, Leto, Lelantos, Metis, and Theron, I want you with me. The rest of you go up to Othrys."

"You locked it down," Themis said pointedly, "we cannot get in."

Kronos muttered a few words under his breath and the bar across the front doors slid back into the wall. "Is that better?" Themis nodded and flickered before disappearing. The other Titans that Kronos hadn't mentioned quickly followed her up to the fortress using various methods of transportation.

"Father, we should get out of our armour," Theron murmured.

"No way," Kronos said instantly, "as soon as I get out of my armour I will resemble a porcupine with all the arrows they will fire at me."

Theron grinned and his armour shimmered before disappearing. Underneath he was wearing a short-sleeved golden top, revealing the white bandage he had still covering his right arm, and a pair of black jeans.

Kronos looked at his son's choice of clothes in annoyance, "Why do you like those clothes? Togas are much better."

"You only think that because they are revealing, brother," Koios said.

Kronos looked at Koios innocently, "Now why would you think that?"

Koios shook his head slightly and his armour changed to become a top and jeans like Theron. The other Titans quickly did the same until Kronos was the only one last in battle armour. Tethys sighed, "Brother, change your armour. If the gods attack you, you can just stop them in time."

Kronos scowled, but his armour shimmered before changing into clothes that almost exactly resembled his son's and Backbiter was sheathed at his waist. Theron's mouth twitched in a smile and Kronos glared at him. "Knock it off, son," he growled.

"Sorry, Father."

Kronos turned away from Theron and looked towards the gods. "This will be fun." He muttered, "Shall we go talk to the gods?"

Theron shrugged and put his hands in the pockets of his jeans. Rhea intertwined her right hand with Kronos' left, "No threatening, maiming-"

"Or killing," Kronos finished with a roll of his eyes, "I know."

Rhea pursed her lips. "I am serious, Kronos. If you do any of them then chances of us cooperating in this war go down the drain."

Kronos frowned and nodded. "Why else do you think I sent the others back to Othrys?"

Rhea looked over at the gods, all of whom had their weapons out and ready. "The sooner we get this done, the less time it will take to get back to Othrys."

Kronos nodded again and started walking in the direction of the gods. Theron quickly dropped forward so he was at Kronos' right hand. The other Titans strolled along behind them, talking amongst themselves. Theron waved one of his hands and the monster dust in their path moved to either side, creating a walkway so they didn't have to wade through the golden dust.

The Titans stopped fifteen yards away from the gods. Kronos stood still and studied them, deciding to let Zeus speak first. The gods were nervous. All of the Titans could sense it as the smell of ozone in the air multiplied. Zeus' master bolt sparked and hummed with electricity as the god raised it and sent a lightning bolt straight at Kronos. Kronos quickly released Rhea's hand so she wouldn't be electrocuted and let the bolt hit him in the chest, sending him flying several dozen yards back.

Zeus looked shocked that the bolt had actually hit Kronos and charged it up again for another shot. Rhea and Theron immediately planted themselves between the god and Kronos. "You fire that again and you will have the fight of your life," Theron growled.

Kronos grunted as he pushed himself to his feet. His clothes were blackened and smoke was rising from his hair, most of which was standing on end. He made no movement, but there was a golden glow around him and everything reverted to what it was normally. "That was not very nice," Kronos said in amusement.

Zeus' eyes narrowed and he raised his master bolt to fire it again, but Rhea quickly walked closer to him. "Stop it, son. Lower your master bolt. We only wish to talk."

"I would not mind attacking them," Koios muttered.

"Not helping!" Rhea exclaimed as she glared at her brother.

"Sorry, sister," Koios smiled.

"Look, Zeus," Rhea said as she turned back to the god, "just hear us out."

Zeus looked at his mother for several seconds before nodding and lowering his master bolt. "You have five minutes. No more."

Rhea relaxed and looked behind her to where Kronos was making his way forward. Kronos scowled at Zeus, "Are you happy now?"

Zeus crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the Titan King. "Why are you here, Kronos?"

The temperature fell and Kronos chuckled. "I should have thought you would have learnt that names have power by now."

"Why are you here?" Zeus repeated.

"Why does one usually come to a battlefield?" Kronos asked, "To fight."

The gods looked at each other and Athena frowned, "Why do you want to fight Gaea?"

Kronos raised an eyebrow. "She has no right to use Othrys as a base."

"No," Athena said, "why do _you _want to fight Gaea?"

All of the Titans turned to look at Theron who looked at them innocently. "That would be his fault," Kronos said as he jerked a finger at Theron, "so damned annoying all the time."

Theron glared at Kronos, "I am not annoying."

"Yes, you are, nephew," Koios smirked.

Kronos nodded slightly, "Going on and on about helping the gods for weeks on end counts as annoying. Killing me counts as annoying. Getting two demigods out of Othrys whilst telling me you are doing something completely different counts as annoying. Disobeying me counts as annoying, and so does-"

"Okay!" Theron exclaimed, "I get it. No need to go on." Lelantos snickered and Theron gave him a withering glare, "Oh, shut up."

Athena cleared her throat. "How exactly was it his fault?"

Kronos looked meaningfully at Theron who sighed, "I am assuming you all know I was an idiot and tried to save Hera at the Wolf House. Well, Gaea nearly managed to make me fade, and Kronos was not very pleased about that."

"Gaea's your mother, isn't she?" Hermes asked.

Kronos raised an eyebrow and gestured to Zeus. "I am his father, yet that did not stop him from _cutting me into thousands of pieces._" The Titans winced slightly and most of the gods and demigods shifted uncomfortably.

"Wait a minute," a demigod said as they stepped forward, "you are the King of Othrys? The Titan of Time, Ruler of Othrys. You are the immortal that tried to destroy Olympus a year ago?"

"Yes," Kronos said bluntly, "why? Does that surprise you?"

The demigod snorted in derision, "I don't believe you. Isn't Saturn supposed to be twelve feet tall? You're not even seven feet and look like a mortal."

"Saturn," Kronos glowered, "what is your name, half-blood?"

"Octavian," the half-blood said, "legacy of Apollo, Augur of Camp Jupiter, Centurion of the First Cohort."

"Well, Octavian." Kronos sneered, "Do you know the beings I hate even more than I do Zeus?"

Octavian snickered, "Let me guess-"

"No," Kronos said, "I will not let you guess. I hate _Romans, _the ones that saw it fit to give me an entirely new name and make up a story about me being released from Tartarus just to spite me. And rather unfortunately for you, you are a Roman."

"Prove it," Octavian said stubbornly, "prove that you are Sat-Kronos."

Kronos needed nothing more. He rose to twelve feet and his clothes shimmered into armour as he unsheathed Backbiter. The black blade changed form into his scythe and he glared at the Roman legacy from beneath his helmet. Kronos snapped his fingers and around him the grass turned into dust. "Do you need any more proof or may I continue?"

Octavian hurriedly moved back amongst the half-bloods and didn't speak up so Kronos shrank down and his armour and scythe shimmered before disappearing. Zeus cleared his throat. "Swear on the Styx that you have no intent to harm us."

Styx shook her head slightly, "That will not work. He is older than me and cannot swear on my river."

"Then swear on Tartarus or something," Zeus said.

Kronos frowned slightly, "I cannot swear that as I _do _want to harm you. Very painfully, in fact," he thought for a moment, "I swear on Tartarus the Titans are here to fight Gaea, not Olympus." The area darkened until the gods couldn't see more than five feet in front of them and everything took on a slight purple tint as a clap of thunder echoed around the plain of Thessaly.

Poseidon looked at Kronos carefully, noting how the Titan King seemed perfectly at ease, despite being outnumbered over one hundred to one. "You're looking… well for someone who died around a year ago."

Theron choked on his laughter as Koios hid his grin and Kronos looked at Poseidon in obvious irritation, "Are you trying to annoy me?"

"Just trying to make a conversation," Poseidon grinned.

Kronos sighed and looked as the sky as if searching for answers. He continued looking up as he spoke, "These next few days are going to be incredibly annoying. "

"What do you mean?" Athena asked carefully.

"I do not like you," Kronos said bluntly, "frankly I wish all of you would go to Tartarus – especially you, Hades, regarding your recent capture of my son-"

"Father!" Theron exclaimed in exasperation.

Kronos glanced back at him and sighed. "But, since we are going to be _trying _to work together – even though I would love to have a three-way war - I suppose it would not do well for you to be out in the open and as helpless as mortals. I will give you an offer. Othrys is open for your use, if you so wish."

Zeus' eyes widened slightly and he looked to the gods for this opinion. It seemed to be about half and half. "Can you give us time to decide?"

Kronos nodded slightly and studied the position of the Sun. "Until the end of the day. If you accept our offer it would be easier to sneak you into Othrys under the cover of night."

"Then we will tell you before the Sun sets," Zeus said.

Kronos had apparently decided his business with the gods was done and he turned to Theron. "How were you able to control the river Styx?"

Theron seemed to find the ground between his feet interesting as he avoided Kronos' gaze. "She let me."

"And why would Styx let you control her river?"

Theron shuffled his feet and his shoulders slumped slightly. "Because we have been dating the last few months."

You are in a lot of trouble," he said darkly as he crossed his arms over his chest, "first you tell me a lie, and then go completely against a _direct order_ for you to stay in Tartarus. Now I find that you have disregarded an order that I gave you millions of years ago and had actually thought that you would listen. Obviously I was wrong in trusting you."

Theron's head shot up and his eyes widened, "No, Father, I-"

"I do not want any excuses," Kronos said sharply, "go to Othrys. I wish to speak to you alone in the throne room."

Theron sighed and disappeared in a pillar of green flames. Koios looked at Kronos carefully, "Be careful, brother, remember what happened last time you were angry at him?"

"Stay out of this, Koios," Kronos snapped as he flinched slightly at the reminder.

"Just saying," Koios said holding his hands up in surrender. The ground cracked beneath Kronos and the Titan King slipped into the fissure which snapped shut with a loud crack.

Rhea sighed and turned to Koios. "I will make sure Kronos does not get too angry at Theron."

"I will help once Phoebe is finished," Koios said. Rhea nodded slightly and the earth crept up around her legs to cover her head to toe, it then broke apart and Rhea was gone.

"Will Theron be punished badly?" Hestia asked carefully.

Koios chuckled, "No. Kronos never wants to admit it, but we all know he has a soft spot for the Prince."

Phoebe kissed Koios on the corner of his mouth before walking forward several yards towards the gods. "I wish to speak to your Oracle and compare notes."

The gods shifted nervously, but Zeus turned to Apollo and nodded. The god of the Sun disappeared in a bright flash and came back a minute later with his hand on Rachel's shoulder. Rachel bowed to the gods. "Good afternoon, my Lords and Ladies, why have you summoned me?"

Zeus gestured behind Rachel. "See for yourself."

Rachel turned and her eyes widened as she saw the Titans standing there. "What have I missed?"

Phoebe laughed lightly, "You are the new host for the Oracle of Delphi?"

Rachel's eyes narrowed, "Why's that so funny?"

"I meant no offence, Rachel." Phoebe said calmly, "It is just my brother Kronos said you were a mortal with a death wish."

"Your brother?" Rachel asked carefully, "You are a Titan."

"Titaness," Phoebe corrected, "I leave the title of Titan to the idiotic males."

"Even me?" Koios asked with fake hurt in his voice, "You would group me with our brothers?"

"You are a male, are you not?" Phoebe asked in amusement, "Or have you been lying to me for two billion years?"

Koios grumbled under his breath, "I was talking about the idiotic part."

Phoebe turned back to Rachel. "I would rather like to know what you did to my little brother to get him to hate you so much."

"I hit him in the eye with a blue plastic hairbrush," Rachel smiled, "only minutes after he possessed Luke."

Phoebe was silent for several seconds before she turned to Koios. "Did you hear that?"

Koios raised an eyebrow, "Of course. I am not deaf, and neither am I stupid for that matter."

Phoebe rolled her eyes and looked back at Rachel. "My name is Phoebe, Titaness of Mysteries and The Delphic Oracle."

"Wait, you're…"

"I am the Titaness that was chosen to represent the Delphic Oracle," Phoebe said, "and I wish to compare prophecies, my dear. We Titans have been given two prophecies:

_Their forces awaken,  
Father and son are shaken,_  
_To work as one,_  
_Till the deed is done,_  
_To find the doors of death,_  
_And protect to their last breath,_  
_Alliances will be made,_  
_And a goddess will be forgiven for making a Titan fade._

_The roots will stand against an assault,  
The beginning will start with a Titan's fault.  
When three enemies fight on the ancient plain,  
The two Parthenon's and the Olympians' bane.  
The King and Prince will enter into a fight,  
Only one will prevail with the strength of might._"

Olympus' army was silent as every being thought over the prophecy. Green smoke started swirling out of the ground towards Rachel. Several strands curled around Phoebe as Rachel spoke:

"_Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,  
to storm or fire the world must fall,  
an oath to keep with a final breath,  
and foes bear arms to the doors of death."_

"Three prophecies," Zeus murmured, "has that ever happened before?"

Phoebe shook her head, "From my oracle? Never. Though I cannot say the same for my sisters and Dione."

"Who are the King and Prince?" Athena asked carefully.

Koios frowned slightly, "There is only one being with the title Prince here and that is Theron. Gaea absolutely loathes him and she would not be happy with him just dying. We believe that she plans to force him to fade in this war, and that is why Kronos is being so harsh."

Tethys cleared her throat. "We should go, Phoebe, Koios. Who knows what Hyperion is getting up to without us there to stop him?"

Koios snickered, "Probably challenging Atlas to a fight and currently being beaten around the arena." Phoebe faded away in a soft green light, whilst Koios suddenly disappeared.

Tethys looked meaningfully at Oceanus who vapour travelled to her side and immediately kissed her. The two immortals disappeared into sea water. Lelantos snickered, "What do you think they will be doing?"

Leto only had her eyes on Artemis and Apollo, she was grateful to Kronos as the Titan King had obviously known she had wanted to speak to her children. Lelantos nudged her with one of his wings, "Hey, do not worry. If they accept Kronos' offer you can spend all the time you want with them."

Leto nodded and with one more look at Artemis and Apollo she disappeared in a beam of silver. Lelantos grinned and shot into the air, his wings beating, and seemed to disappear into light speed with an after image left behind.

Metis sighed and flickered before disappearing and Iapetus scowled, "Great, they forgot me." The shadows still covering the plain flocked to him and the Titan disappeared in a swirl of darkness.

"Council meeting immediately," Zeus called and strode back towards the camp with the other Olympians following him.

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**Next chapter - Olympus and Othrys**

**I hope this was good, i wanted to make it very dramatic for the Titans, since they need an awesome entrance into the war. The next few chapters we get to see Kronos interacting with his godly kids... this will be fun...**


	40. Olympus and Othrys

**Eternal God of Fear:A badass chapter! / Thanks for reviewing, and i thought the Titans need an amazing entrance to the battlefield... i might not have done them justice perfectly... but it was the best i could think of.**

**The Man Behind The Computer: I loved it. The tension between the Titans and Gods was high and I can't wait for Kronos to interact with his godly children. That would be awkward and hilarious-no doubt. / Thanks. This is going to be even more fun to write now because of Kronos' interactions...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO and/or HOO**

**So i decided to finish this chapter quickly for all of you, next chapter will be up probably around mid-week.**

* * *

**Chapter 40 - Olympus and Othrys**

"Iris, contact Kronos for us." Zeus said, "We need to tell him our decision."

The Olympians had finished debating the cons and pros of going to Othrys and Hermes had exited the tent to tell the army to pack up. A screen shimmered and appeared in the middle of the circle of seats – where Theron had been tied up. Zeus had had Hephaestus remove the pole as soon as possible and Hades had filed the hole in to remove any evidence.

"I am connecting to Arke and then I will be able to get Kronos up," Iris' voice echoed around the tent. The screen shimmered like the gods were looking through two windows next to each other.

Through the second one the image of Kronos showed up. The Titan King was reclined back into his throne and seemed to be asleep, but then he groaned and snapped open his eyes to glare at the other beings in the throne room. He glanced at the Iris/Arke-message and sighed as he leaned forward. "Everyone sit down and shut the Tartarus up!" Kronos bellowed and the Titans immediately fell silent.

Except for Theron, "Immortals, Father, shout any louder and you might just manage to blow my damned ears off."

"Sit down, and shut up," Kronos ordered, "I am not in a good mood, son, and you would do well to not test me."

"Right," Theron muttered, "sitting down."

Kronos turned to look at the Arke-message. "Your decision?" He prompted.

"We have decided to accept your offer," Zeus said carefully.

Kronos leaned back and nodded, "Then travel your army onto the peak when you wish. Do not worry about the giants sensing your approach. This will be a good time to test our defences, we will create a distraction," his eyes glinted as he stood up.

"Kronos, that may not be such a good idea," Koios said, "the condition of the defences are… not very good to say the least."

"Use the Greek fire," Kronos said like it was obvious.

"What Greek fire?" Krios snickered. "We have less than a dozen jars left."

Kronos sighed, "Theron-"

"Already on it," Theron interrupted and waved his hand, "all five thousand jars are now in the fire room."

"_Five thousand?_" Athena asked incredulously.

Kronos chuckled, "We have been waiting for this moment for a while."

"How many ballistae are working?" Hyperion said in excitement.

"Enough to provide significant chaos," Oceanus smirked, "the lower levels have more working than the higher ones."

"When do you plan to travel your army?" Kronos asked.

"As soon as Hermes has them all packed up and ready," Poseidon said.

"A small problem," Hera said, "how is Greek fire going to distract every single giant?"

Kronos touched the side of his head. "We know how to prime Greek fire to explode at a certain time - perfect for creating havoc. Get the campers and Cyclopes here, and we will do our job."

The gods nodded and Kronos swiped his hand through the message. "Athena, help Hermes organise the campers. Poseidon, gather your army together and get them into groups. Hephaestus, shut down your automations so we can travel more at a time," Zeus ordered.

The mentioned Olympians quickly strode out of the tent to do their jobs. The other Olympians set about to pack everything in the tent up with Hestia burning up the chairs and table to remove as much evidence as possible and hopefully confuse the giants. The sun had already fallen past the horizon and the plain was covered with shadows, preventing the giants' army from seeing what was happening.

It was nearly an hour later that the army was gathered in groups with all the gods ready to travel them. They were looking into the sky and waiting for a signal when they heard wing beats and a Titan appeared out of the gloom. Lelantos hovered in the air above them with his celestial bronze wings glowing slightly. "We are ready to fire," the Titan grinned, "are you ready?"

"Yes," Zeus said, "how are you planning on getting word to them?"

"Arke, show me my cousin Theron," Lelantos said and a screen appeared in front of him.

"Are they ready?" Theron asked immediately.

"Yes," Lelantos grinned giddily.

Theron grinned and turned to look to the side, "Fire!" He bellowed.

There were immediately loud booms as the ballistae were fired and a few seconds later there were thuds as they hit the ground amongst the giants' army. "Wait for it," Lelantos grinned, "five, four, three, and two… one." As soon as he said one there were five explosions throughout the giants' army and columns of Greek fire shot into the air as the ballistae imploded. Lelantos shot into the air like he was fired from a bow and disappeared amongst the clouds, swiping through the Arke-message as he went.

The gods quickly flashed away with their first groups as another volley was fired from the black fortress. The gods quickly realised that what Kronos had said was right – timed Greek fire explosions were perfect for causing havoc. The giants seemed more focused on putting out the fires raging around their camp to realise that the gods' army was quickly disappearing.

It took less than an hour, during which time the Titans fired their ballistae around every three minutes.

Once the gods' army was all on the mountain path up to the peak the ballistae continued firing for several more minutes until they stopped. Zeus took a deep breath before starting the walk up to the fortress. Black marble was strewn across the path and broken into pieces. Hades placed his hand on one rock and slowly took it off a few seconds later. "This is older than a billion years," he murmured in shock. The gods looked at the blocks of marble that were twisted beyond recognition in front of them. Hades' eyes caught Zeus'. "They are from Othrys."

"But that's impossible," Athena argued, "Othrys is just up there…right?"

Zeus shrugged and continued walking up the path, skirting around the lumps of marble in the way. It was a few minutes later that they reached a plateau that surprisingly had lots of trees around the edge and no lumps of marble scattered around. Around the edge of the plateau were steep rock faces with a single spire of rock jutting out of the ground in the centre of the plateau. The rock was coloured golden like someone had dropped a bucket of paint on it.

"What is this place?" Artemis asked in awe.

"This is where the first ever ambush took place," Kronos' voice called. The gods looked up to see him and several other Titans sitting on the edge of the cliff and watching them.

Zeus stiffened slightly at his words. "The first ever ambush?"

Kronos chuckled and slid off the edge of the cliff, dropping several dozen feet to land with a thud. "This is the place where I cut up Ouranos. Rather lovely place, is it not?"

"I don't know what to say to that," Apollo muttered to Hermes, "I mean, what do you say to the guy that murdered his own father?"

"Wait," Athena said, "so the gold on that spire is Ouranos' ichor?"

"Does that surprise you?" Kronos asked in amusement.

"Stop playing around, Kronos!" Hyperion yelled, "I want to get back to the ballistae!"

Kronos shook his head slightly and strode towards a small gap in the rock wall that the gods hadn't seen. "Unless you want to get barbecued by a dragon roaming these corridors then follow me."

"You're joking, right?" Hermes asked nervously.

Kronos turned so he was walking backwards, "Do you wish to find out?"

"No," Hermes quickly said, "I'm fine."

Kronos' mouth twitched slightly as he disappeared into the gap. The gods quickly hurried after him and the Titans ran along the cliff edge above them. Before the first god entered the gap, there was a sudden surge of power from the spire in the centre of the plateau. The Titans seemed to not be worried, though several of them did frown down at the gold covered rock.

The gods quickly realised that Kronos hadn't been lying when a loud roar echoed around them. They all sped up, not really wanting to be burnt by a dragon.

It took less than ten minutes for Kronos to lead the gods out of the stone corridors and onto the peak of Othrys. He strode straight towards the black marble doors which seemed to sense his approach and opened. The path curled up until the ground was level with the top of the cliff sides and the Titans all sprinted straight for the doors. Theron was racing Lelantos through the air and blasting Greek fire at him as he flew.

"I win!" Lelantos yelled as he skidded to a stop inside the fortress.

"It was a draw!" Theron argued, "Nobody won."

"Oh, please," Lelantos growled, "you are only saying that because you lost!"

"No, I am not!" Theron cried, "We landed at the same time! That means it is a draw!"

"Both of you shut up!" Kronos shouted, "The two of you are bickering like mortals! And, Theron, what did I say about flying?"

Theron rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "That I am not allowed to because I am grounded."

"What did you just do?"

"Fly," Theron muttered and Lelantos snickered.

"I would not laugh if I were you, Lelantos," Koios scolded, "you knew Theron was not allowed to fly, yet still you challenged him to a race."

Lelantos grinned, "He did not have to accept."

Theron glared at him. "You just want me to get in more trouble."

"Of course," Lelantos smirked, "watching you get punished is still as fun as it used to be."

Theron scowled, "You take fun out of my pain?"

"Please," Lelantos scoffed, "I am not the only one. Hyperion and Krios bet on when Kronos is going to have to punish you next."

"I know," Theron grumbled as he glared at the two mentioned Titans.

Kronos cleared his throat, "Enough. Theron, I trust you know what you have to do?"

Theron sighed. "You only told me a few hours ago, Father."

"Once you are done, I wish to speak to you in the throne room," Kronos said as he started walking into the fortress.

"Am I in trouble again?" Theron asked carefully.

"No, I just have something I would like you to do." Kronos linked his arm with Rhea's and strode down the corridor, the other Titans trailing along behind them to go to their various favourite rooms.

"Father, can you and Mother-"

"No more siblings!" Kronos shouted and Theron snickered.

Atlas and Lelantos stayed behind with Theron, obviously knowing that he didn't really want to be guiding the gods around Othrys. Theron looked at his cousins curiously, "The two of you do not have to stay, and you do know that, right?"

Atlas crossed his arms over his chest at glared at the gods. "I do not trust them not to attack you," he said bluntly.

Theron rolled his eyes, "I appreciate your concern, _little _cousin, but they will not attack me."

Atlas shrugged, "Do I look like a care?"

Theron sighed. "Suit yourself." He turned to look at the gods and grinned, "Welcome to Othrys, Olympus."

"It's dark," Apollo commented.

Theron raised an eyebrow. "You just noticed that?"

"I guess Kronos is right," Atlas snorted, "the gods are stupid."

Theron whacked his cousin around the back of his head. "Stop it. You have to at least _try_ to get along."

"They shoved me under Ouranos and I had to hold him up for millennia," Atlas complained. "Do you know how heavy the damned fool is?"

"He was getting fat when he was still alive, I would hate to see his physical body now," Theron snickered, "that is if he has even managed to make one again."

Lelantos shook his head, "You were only five millennia, yet still you volunteered to help Kronos kill Ouranos."

Theron shrugged and turned back to the gods. "My Father forced me to stand for you, which means that if any of you do anything stupid then I get the blame. So do not start any fights that you cannot finish."

"Wait a minute," Atlas said, "that was your punishment?"

Theron gave Atlas a sideways smile. "Knowing the gods and us, it is going to be enough. Follow me, gods," he said loudly, "unless you wish to stay outside tonight in the cold."

The gods hesitantly followed Theron into Othrys, not exactly forgetting that the moment they stepped into the fortress than they were in Kronos' territory. All of the beings sided with Olympus had a hand on their various weapons in case they were attacked by any unwelcoming hosts.

Artemis looked to her right where Styx was walking. The river goddess had barely taken her eyes off Theron the whole time, yet the Titan had completely ignored her.

Theron, Atlas and Lelantos were talking quietly between each other and Theron occasionally looked back to check that none of the gods had strayed from the path he was taking them. The corridors were stretched with shadows and Greek fire torches flickered along the black marble walls. It was the complete opposite to Olympus. It was almost like Zeus had thought, 'Othrys is known as the black fortress, so I'll have the white fortress.'

Theron eventually turned around and grinned at the gods. "This is the main corridor. Along the sides are smaller corridors leading to other areas of Othrys, most of them we need not talk about for now. At the end of this corridor, down there – see the massive sixty foot tall double doors? – that is the throne room. Down the sides here are the personal towers of the fourteen council members. The Titans of the second generation usually sleep in one of the towers of their parents, but there are some exceptions."

"You, for example," Lelantos said as he looked at Theron.

Theron nodded slightly, "I am on the council, which means I have to put up with Hyperion and Krios, so I get my own tower. All of you are going to sleep in mine and Rhea's."

"Will Mother mind?" Hestia asked.

Theron snickered, "Rhea sleeps with Kronos, and I highly recommend avoiding his tower completely… not only because of the noises at night."

Several of the gods' eyes widened in shock and Theron's siblings looked slightly nauseous as he continued. "My tower is this one," he said as he gestured to a tower just behind him, "and Rhea's is this one." He gestured to one the other side of the corridor. "Take your pick of tower and room… just not in any of the top two floors."

The gods looked at each other before Hades shrugged and moved to go up the stairs to Theron's tower. As the gods, half-bloods and Cyclopes suddenly rushed for either of the towers, Theron met Styx's eyes with his own and inclined his head slightly. Styx immediately pressed herself against the wall so she wouldn't be swept away by the tide of bodies.

Then Theron's gaze landed on a certain being. It was only Atlas that noticed how his cousin's hands clenched; his entire body became as stiff as a board, and his eyes darkened in his anger. The moment the Prince started to move, Atlas pushed himself off the wall he was leaning against and shoved Theron back to slam into the black marble. The remaining beings were startled by the sudden sound.

Theron's jaw clamped together and he struggled to push Atlas off of him, but he wasn't thinking straight and it was simple for the General to press down on Theron to stop him from getting away. Atlas' eyes roved through the beings until he saw who had caused Theron to act like he was. He cursed, "Lelantos, go get any of the Titans who were not sent to Tartarus and get Kronos, now."

"Why?" Lelantos asked as he tried to find the being.

Atlas struggled to stop Theron from slipping out of his grip. "Do not look, just go! I will not be able to keep Theron back for long."

Lelantos nodded and shot away with his wings beating rapidly. Atlas grunted as Theron punched him in the face as he attempted to get out of the younger Titan's grip. Atlas swiftly slammed Theron back, dazing him slightly and allowing Atlas to press his arm against Theron's throat.

The remaining gods and demigods watched with wide eyes as Atlas fought to restrain his cousin and stop him from killing his target. "Briares," Atlas grunted, "get back. He is trying to get to you." The Hundred-Handed One quickly backed away.

"What's wrong with him?" Hestia cried in shock.

"Unfortunately, being the Titan of Monsters means that you tend to lose control when you are too angry. Theron as of now is locked inside his mind and past, which means that-" Atlas cut himself off with a loud curse as Theron missed kneeing his Titanhood by inches.

There was a surge of power down the corridor and several of the weaker half-bloods started to spontaneously combust. "Come on," Atlas murmured, "hurry up."

Atlas sighed in relief as the temperature dropped, time slowed, and he heard wingbeats rapidly approaching. Lelantos shot over the heads of the gods and demigods who were parting for the Titans that Lelantos had found. Kronos was the first Titan that Atlas saw, and the King immediately strode straight towards him without saying anything.

When Kronos was only feet from Atlas, the General let go of Theron. Theron immediately tried to lunge at Briares, but Kronos grabbed Theron's right shoulder and turned him round to punch him in the stomach. Theron flew back into the marble wall and Kronos calmly placed his right arm across Theron's throat.

"What set it off?" Kronos asked as he studied Theron.

"He saw one of the Hundred-Handed Ones, Briares," Atlas said instantly.

"Oceanus, get Briares here, will you?" Kronos said once his eyes had landed on his brother.

"What?" Poseidon exclaimed as he instantly realised what Kronos was going to do, "You said that you would house all of us! Briares is part of my army!"

Oceanus walked through the crowd of beings straight towards the Hekatonkheire. Briares didn't back away even as the Titan towered over him. Oceanus looked absolutely murderous, which surprised all of the gods as he hadn't so much as lifted a finger against them yet. Briares knew sooner or later this would happen, and he wanted it to. The Hundred-Handed One made his way out of the group of Cyclopes he was amongst. He bowed to the Titan King.

Kronos raised an eyebrow as he looked at Briares. "You do know what I intent to do, correct?"

Briares nodded his fifty heads which looked like he was doing a Mexican wave. "I only ask that you make me fade," he said bluntly, "I tire of life without my two brothers."

"Cottus and Gyges," Kronos murmured, "faded at the hands of Kampe if I remember correctly."

"That is true," Briares nodded.

Kronos frowned slightly as he turned back to Theron who was still struggling to free himself. "Only Briares, do you hear me, Theron? If you start attacking the gods or demigods I will knock you out."

Prometheus and Astraeus snickered, but Leto, Metis, Themis and Rhea glared at them. Theron's eyes were still nearly black as he nodded slightly. Briares closed his eyes and spread out his one hundred hands. "Make it quick, Theron, I have no desire to suffer any more."

Kronos turned around slightly to look over his shoulder at Briares. "Do me a favour when you reach the Realm of the Faded?"

"Yes, Kronos?"

"Give our Father Tartarus when you see him." Kronos smirked, "Make sure he never forgets why I cut him into thousands of pieces and cast his remains into Oceanus."

"Which was not appreciated very much," Oceanus rumbled, "his ichor got everywhere."

Kronos shrugged, "You would not help us."

"That does not excuse the fact that you threw our Father's chopped up remains into me because you were annoyed," Oceanus scowled.

Kronos shrugged. "I do a lot of things when I am annoyed." He turned to look at Theron who had calmed down slightly. "I would be ready. He might not stop himself after Briares."

"I will be fine," Theron growled.

Kronos let go of Theron and went to stand next to Rhea as Theron shook his head as if getting rid of a fly. A low rumble built up in Theron's throat and he shifted forward, his clothes melting into skin and his joints rotating in their sockets as he turned into a DireWolf. He launched himself at the Hekatonkheire and sunk his fangs into several of the giant's necks. Theron savagely shook his head from side to side, tearing off Briares' heads. The Hundred-Handed One bellowed in pain and the sound echoed through the black corridors as golden ichor splattered on the watching beings. Theron retreated and circled the ichor covered Hekatonkheire. Artemis, who was one of the immortals that hadn't gone up a tower yet, was more than a little surprised at how his actions were alike to the wolves in her Hunt. Theron charged at Briares' back and the giant fell over from the weight. The Titan Prince tore off several more heads with no misgivings. Briares shuddered before lying completely still with ichor pooling around him, his form started shimmering and Kronos unsheathed Backbiter. The Titan King shifted his sword into an ice-pick grip and stabbed the Hekatonkheire in the middle of his chest whilst he completely ignored the snarling wolf beside him. Kronos leaned against Theron as he sheathed Backbiter and watched Briares shimmer and dissolve into nothing. Theron was snarling at Poseidon and he looked ready to pounce at any moment.

Rhea frowned at her son. "Kronos, get him to stop," she said carefully, "he looks like he is about to attack Poseidon."

Kronos looked down at Theron and a wry grin grew on his face. "Are you serious?" He asked as he stepped away from Theron, "This is the best part."

Rhea pursed her lips. "So help me, Kronos," she said sharply, "if you do not stop him I will not sleep with you for a decade."

Kronos' grin quickly fell and Oceanus smirked. "She has you backed into a corner, brother."

Kronos glared at Oceanus. "Of course she does, I only completely reformed maybe two months ago. Even in the final battle against Olympus the whole of me was not reformed. I have been without female company for… a long time."

That's disgusting," a voice called from the group of beings, "aren't you siblings?"

"Be lucky I cannot tell whoever that was," Kronos scowled, "but yes. We are siblings, and your point is? All of you should know that immortals do not have DNA. Zeus and Hera are consorts, Rhea and I are. There is no difference."

Poseidon looked at Theron warily as the wolf stalked closer to him. "How do you know that? And, Theron, can you please stop?"

"No point trying to get him to stop," Kronos snorted, "he has lost control – given in to his wolf side. As for how I know that Zeus and Hera are in a relationship… it is the same way that I know Theron and Styx had sex a few days ago. I am not stupid."

"Wait a minute," Artemis said, "what?"

Kronos smirked, "So you knew that Theron was in the Underworld several days ago, but not why?"

Theron snarled at Kronos and to the shock of the watching beings, he launched himself at the Titan King. Kronos laughed and jumped to the side, letting Theron charge past him. Theron stood up on his hind legs and his features changed back to normal as he regained control.

"Damn you," Theron snapped, "can you seriously not keep a secret?"

Kronos smiled slightly, "Of course I can, but I figured that getting you to regain control was more important that keeping that one. And you should not have told me if you wanted it to remain a secret."

Theron scowled at his father. "I did not tell you. You found out, there is a very big difference."

Kronos shrugged. "Keep control of your anger. You would have killed Poseidon then, and whilst I am not against that, the consequences could have destroyed Othrys."

Theron looked at his feet sheepishly. "Sorry, Father."

Kronos nodded slightly with a wry grin. "Son, if you and Styx plan on having some fun tonight… please remember to lock the door."

Theron cursed loudly as most of the demigods and gods laughed. "Father!"

Kronos snickered, "I can finally have my revenge on all your jokes, son. Better get used to it."

Theron glared at Kronos. "Why are you still here?" He demanded.

Kronos raised an eyebrow. "That is not very nice, son."

Rhea laughed lightly, "You have embarrassed him enough, Kronos. Let us go."

Kronos had a crooked grin on his face as he turned to face Rhea and cleared his throat. "Since I stopped him…"

Rhea rolled her eyes. "Yes, you have earned it."

Kronos grinned triumphantly and Oceanus burst out laughing. "I pity you, brother. She was one of the main reasons that you were chopped up into thousands of pieces, yet still you go back to her like a puppy."

Kronos scowled at Oceanus. "A puppy?"

Theron frowned in annoyance. "That is a good point," he muttered, "how come I am grounded?"

Kronos snorted, "Because you never learn."

Rhea shook her head slightly. "It is because your Father is too overprotective."

Theron's eyes flickered between Kronos and Rhea. "I think you should go," he grinned, "Kronos is starting to get impatient."

Kronos sighed and held his arm out for Rhea. "Would you care to join me, My Lady?"

Rhea intertwined her arm with his and the two immortals strolled down the corridor as if they were having an evening walk. Theron grinned and called, "Have fun you two! Do not forget to lock the door!"

Kronos grumbled under his breath, but otherwise the two immortals ignored their son. The other Titans were staring at Theron in slight shock. Atlas was scowling at him, "Styx?"

Theron shrugged. "Yes, is there a problem?" When none of the Titans replied Theron turned to look at Styx, "Since the secret is out now… perhaps you would like to come to my room." He said slyly.

Styx smiled, "Of course."

Theron's mouth twitched as he took her hand and they disappeared into a column of Greek fire, trying to ignore the glare from a certain Ocean Titan. Themis laughed, "Would you look at that? Theron is finally growing up."

Oceanus rolled his eyes, "Please, he was grown up when he lost his virginity nearly two billion years ago."

Themis shook her head. "I remember that day… who was it that he took exactly?"

Oceanus raised an eyebrow. "Does it matter?"

"Ah, definitely," Themis laughed, "it sparked the hatred between Hyperion and Theron."

Atlas and the other second generation Titans looked confused. "What are you talking about?" Atlas asked.

"Nothing," Oceanus said instantly, "I believe Hyperion is waiting for you in the training arena, Atlas."

Atlas sighed, "He always is."

The Ocean Titan disappeared into water vapour and the other Titans disappeared in their various ways.

Leto stayed behind briefly. "Continue finding your rooms, this corridor is blocked off by Lelantos for now so there should be no more problems." The Titaness then shimmered into a ray of moonlight and also disappeared.

Poseidon was looking relieved that he wasn't dead and quickly turned around to go up the closest tower to him as the tide of beings continued moving up the towers. All of the Cyclopes had decided to go up Rhea's tower and the gods and demigods had all entered Theron's. Hephaestus deactivated all of the automations and left them standing along the corridor's edge. Less than ten minutes later the hallway was empty except for the metal machines standing guard against the walls.

* * *

**Next chapter - Revelation**

**Who knows the reason for Theron's reaction to Briares? It extends back to what happened to the Titans at the end of the Titanomachy (if you've read Greek Gods you should know the answer).**

**You're all probably going to hate me for this, but... White &amp; Gold.**


	41. Revelation

**Pleasereadmything: Thank you for updating! / I swear you said that last time i updated...**

**LunaItsuka: let me guess...Theron's first is Selene... / Selene wasn't born yet... take another guess.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own PJO and/or HOO**

* * *

**Chapter 41 - Revelation**

The gods and demigods woke when the sunlight streamed in through the windows (which were just slits in the wall). The demigods all decided that they would keep their armour in their rooms as it would be a lot better than bringing it around with them everywhere. The only way out of the tower was the spiral staircase they came up and the staircase went all the way to the top of the tower several hundred yards above.

Most of the gods and demigods had barricaded their doors in case they had any unwelcome visitors during the night so it took several minutes to get out of their rooms and then even longer to reach the main hallway of Othrys. Theron and Styx were leaning against the wall a few yards away and they looked as if they had just woken up. The two immortals were talking quietly and Styx seemed slightly annoyed at whatever Theron was saying.

Theron reached towards Styx and gently pulled her towards him where they stayed for long enough for the gods to start to get uncomfortable. Zeus shifted slightly, "What's happening now?" He asked nervously.

Theron reluctantly let go of Styx and she went to stand beside Hestia. He gave the gods and demigods a crooked grin. "You are all going to join in the council meeting."

"You're not serious," Poseidon muttered.

Theron chuckled, "Just try not to insult or disrespect any of them and you will be fine."

"Theron, I have some things for you," Hades said.

Theron raised an eyebrow. "What would that be?"

"Your _spartoi_ and Maverick."

"You did not have to bring them here," Theron said, "they could have found their own way up the mountain. But thanks." The eleven _spartoi_ stalked out of the group of demigods with their tails up in the air. Theron shook his head slightly and murmured something that was too quiet for the gods and demigods to hear. The _spartoi_ charged towards Theron's tower and disappeared up the staircase.

"Maverick opted to staying in the tower," Hades said when he saw Theron's slightly confused glance.

Theron nodded and took a deep breath as he started striding down the corridor. "Do not let any of the Titans make you cower. They will try to undermine you with not only weapons, but words too. I may have made Kronos promise to not kill any of you, but he is known for his silver tongue. Be wary of his attempts at dissuading you." Theron looked back to check that the gods and demigods were following him. "Hyperion and Krios are the ones that are most likely to physically attack you. Koios is not as stupid as them, so he is only likely to insult you. Oceanus and Iapetus are definitely not going to attack you, but Kronos… well, it depends on his mood."

"His mood?" Hestia asked carefully.

"Yes," Theron frowned slightly, "yesterday he was in a good mood. Today… chances of that are not looking so good." Theron grinned when he saw the gods' expressions. "Do not worry; he keeps his promises as all Titans do. The only one I can remember that he broke was about tearing Olympus down 'brick by brick', and he only broke that one because I stopped him."

"And killed him in the process," a voice added and Theron turned around to see Lelantos and Atlas in front of him, "making him incredibly annoyed with you so that a week ago he did that to you," Lelantos said as he gestured at Theron's right arm.

Theron looked down at the once white bandage still covering his arm. Atlas sighed, "You do know it has likely healed now, correct?"

"I know," Theron said calmly, "but I have not had much time to take it off."

Atlas chuckled as he fell into step beside Theron and his deep voice echoed around the hall. "Take it off now, cousin," he suggested, "I want to see the scar."

Theron rolled his eyes, but he unwound the cloth from his arm and revealed the long, red mark stretching from the inside of his right elbow down to his wrist. Atlas whistled, "Kronos got you good."

Lelantos frowned. "I do not know why you and the others like scars so much, they are blemishes on the skin where a wound has not healed completely."

Atlas smirked at him. "They are signs that show how many fights you have won."

"They show how reckless you are whilst fighting," Lelantos retorted.

"No, they show that you have come up against an enemy that has a type of advantage of you, yet you prevailed over them. If you had not prevailed then you would have lost a head, and not gained a scar," Atlas argued.

Theron raised an eyebrow. "If I remember correctly then Kronos gained several thousand scars _and _lost a head at once."

"That is one exception," Atlas said dismissively.

"A week ago I gained this one and lost my dignity," Theron added as he looked down at his right arm.

Atlas snickered, "Oh, do not worry, cousin, it is not that bad. You still have us."

"That is what I am afraid of," Theron grunted.

Lelantos rolled his eyes. "You are so kind to us, cousin, after all we do for you."

"Like what, exactly?" Theron scowled, "The last thing you two did to me was stand back as Kronos beat me up."

Atlas winced slightly, "That needed to be done."

Theron gave Atlas an irritated look, "Oh, please, you just wanted revenge for me knocking you out."

"Well, yes, but you cannot just vote to kill people then help them escape some days later," Atlas scowled, "it does not work."

Theron shrugged and frowned slightly, "Why are the two of you here anyway?"

"The second generation are allowed in this council meeting," Lelantos grinned, "Kronos knows that to make an effective truce all of us need to be there."

Theron raised an eyebrow. "So that means I have to put up with you for another few hours?" He stopped several dozen yards from the doors to the throne room, just out of their sensing range so they wouldn't open yet, and turned to look at the gods. "If any Titan attacks you defend yourself, but do not attack back. Sit down again and by the time they have gotten their head around the fact that you just completely disrespected them by acting as if their attack was nothing, Kronos would have ordered them to sit down."

"What if Kronos himself attacks us?" Athena asked nervously.

"Then you are dead," Lelantos snickered as he landed and folded his wings behind him. "No Titan is stupid enough to get between Kronos and his target."

"Rhea and Theron are," Atlas said, "they will be able to stop him before he causes too much serious harm."

Theron nodded slightly. "Just forget that you are walking into a room full of hostile immortals that would not think twice about killing you. And, Atlas, did you just imply that I am stupid?"

"Yes," Atlas said bluntly, "can we go in now?"

"One more thing, just keep your weapons out," Theron said, "not in your hand, but sheathed in visible places." StormWraith shimmered and appeared on his back, his golden top melting around the shaft to keep the trident in place. Theron took a single step back and the eighty foot tall doors opened.

The gods and demigods' eyes widened. The throne room was massive. A raised path that stretched all the way to the black marble table in the centre of the room nearly one hundred yards away was carved out of the floor. The room was circular and four pillars placed at the cardinal points were supporting the entire room. The ceiling showed the stars as they would look if you were looking down on Earth from space – as Chaos would see them. There were thirteen thrones, positioned in a 'V'. In Tartarus there was a throne for Eurybia as her half-siblings had decided that she should have one, but in Othrys there wasn't one for her. Kronos' throne was where the arms met. Theron's was at his right, then Oceanus' at Theron's right, then Koios, Iapetus, Krios and Hyperion. On Kronos' left was Rhea's throne. Theia, Themis, Tethys, Phoebe and Mnemosyne were on Rhea's left.

Most of the Titans were already in the room and roaming around. Krios and Hyperion were moving around the stars in the ceiling and by extension changing the stars in the sky. Oceanus and Iapetus were talking quietly with Tethys and Clymene at their sides. Kronos and Rhea were leaning over the marble table and inspecting the hologram which showed the plain of Thessaly. Koios was on the other side of the table and doing the same with Phoebe. Atlas and Lelantos immediately went off to their cousins, most of who were arguing along the edge of the room.

Kronos looked incredibly annoyed, so Theron quickly decided to play it safe during the meeting. The Titan King had his hands around the edge of the table and Theron could see small cracks stretching out from under his white-knuckled hands.

"Please tell me you have good news," Kronos growled.

Theron rose to his Titan height as he strode down the raised platform. "Depends on what you define as good news."

"I define it as your tower is perfectly immaculate and we do not have to make any repairs," Kronos scowled.

"You might want to rethink that definition," Theron said carefully.

"Enough said," Kronos sighed. "What is damaged?"

"The doors to the Hold have completely disappeared and they may be part of the debris on the mountain side, but all the defences are working fine," Theron said.

"How can the doors completely disappear?" Krios called over, "I think you are exaggerating, nephew."

"They can completely disappear if a boulder smashes them to pieces, and a fortress falls apart to scatter the remains over a mountain side," Theron said sharply.

"And if I remember correctly that was all your fault," Krios growled, "do not think none of us know how much you helped the gods in the First Olympian War. It was you that fed them our plans, you that caused our downfall, you and Rhea. Which is why I cannot fathom that Kronos would even consider accepting the two of you back, and a year ago you caused our defeat again."

Theron ground his teeth. "You say that all well and good, _Ram Head, _but despite what you say, _I _was the one that led the attack on Manhattan under Lord Kronos' orders whilst you had to stay behind to defend Othrys, yet you could not even do that properly. You were killed by a Roman hero who used his bare hands, rather disgraceful of one of the original twelve, is it not?"

"The son of Jupiter was lucky," Krios growled, "it will not happen again."

Theron snorted, "Really? Because history repeats as the immortals that rule are too stupid to realise what is happening until it does."

Krios was smiling slightly. "And they only realise if they have tasted failure before."

Theron nodded, "You _were_ beaten by Jason Grace, you cannot deny that, but you are correct in saying that he will not beat you again, that is if you do not repeat any mistakes."

"You inherited your Father's silver tongue, nephew," Krios said dryly, "you know exactly what will make beings annoyed and how to calm them down again."

Theron grinned as he looked at Kronos who had seemed to pay no attention to the argument, but Theron knew he was listening intently. Koios snickered, "Do not forget he also inherited Kronos' looks."

Theron frowned slightly, "I know," he grumbled, "Nyx seems to take great pleasure in trying to seduce me."

Kronos looked up and Theron glared at him when he saw the Titan king was suppressing a smile. "That is because I refused her advances," Kronos said and looked out of the corner of his eye at Rhea, "rather hard to accept when I do not have a body."

"She is a Primordial," Koios snorted, "they always find ways to do things that are considered impossible."

Kronos turned to look at Theron. "Pass StormWraith, son."

Theron took the trident off his back and held it out of Kronos' reach. "What is the magic word?"

Kronos scowled and snapped his fingers, freezing Theron in time. The Titan King grabbed StormWraith and stabbed the butt in one of the slots in the table. The hologram whirred as dots appeared covering the plain of Thessaly. Kronos glanced at Theron and he unfroze, glaring at his Father.

Several of the Titans came over to look at the hologram. Kronos cursed under his breath in the Old Tongue, "Is this possible?"

"We were just saying that Primordials have a knack for doing the impossible," Koios murmured.

Theron scowled, "Well, I am not exactly surprised. Gaea has always been a damned-"

"Theron," Kronos said sharply.

"Sorry, Father," Theron muttered reluctantly.

Kronos sighed and grabbed Theron's trident, pulling it out of the table and tossing it to his son. He then took his scythe which shimmered as it turned into Backbiter and he sheathed it at his waist. "Take your thrones - it is time we got started." He waved his hand and the room rumbled as the Titans that had thrones made their way over to them. Seats shot out of the ground in a 'U', exactly like the ones on Olympus. Several of the gods' eyes widened, but Athena's narrowed as she realised what Kronos was doing. He was effectively reminding the gods that he had been in their throne room and nearly destroyed them with one simple hand gesture.

The gods nervously sat down and the demigods sat down in front of their respective parents on marble benches that grew out of the floor. Theron reclined into his throne, feeling the familiar marble against his back as Kronos strode towards his own throne. The second generation of Titans sat in thrones that shot out of the floor at the end of the arms of the 'V'.

Kronos glared at the gods and demigods in front of him. "Since I would assume you did not bother to inform the demigods of Di Angelo's dream, then I shall do so. We are here to fight with you, not for you. Remember that and there should be no recurrences of last night."

"What did happen last night?" Hyperion asked eagerly, "I heard fighting."

Kronos glanced at Theron who nodded slightly. "The gods had Briares amongst their ranks. Theron saw him and… lost control."

"Lost control?" Oceanus asked in amusement, "He tore off several of the Hekatonkheires' heads. When you lose control you slaughter half of the army in a matter of hours."

"Where is the damned bastard now?" Hyperion growled.

"Hyperion, he is your brother!" Rhea exclaimed.

"No brother would have done what he and his brothers did to us," Krios said furiously.

Theron sighed, "It is in the past, let it go, uncles. Briares has faded so you have no need to linger on past events in Tartarus."

Krios breathed deeply through his nose. "You are right, nephew. We have no need to hunt him down and tear his arms and heads from his body then dunk him in the Phlegethon anymore."

"Krios," Rhea said in exasperation.

Krios rolled his eyes, "We were all thinking it, sister. I was just me that decided to say it."

"Enough talking of last night," Theron said, "I did not wake up just to stop by for a chat. If this is all we are going to do then can I go back to my room?"

Kronos turned to look at him in annoyance. "Take a single step towards those doors and I will personally see to it that you are locked in your room for the rest of this war."

Theron sighed and slumped down in his throne. "You love to punish me."

Kronos ignored Theron's comment and turned back to face the gods. Zeus decided to take the initiative, "You say you want a truce, but how can we be sure you will not kill us in our sleep?"

"I honour promises and agreements," Kronos snorted, "and you barricaded the doors last night. Not that it would stop any of us if we wanted to kill you, but it was an amusing attempt."

Hera's eyes narrowed briefly, "So you tried to enter one of the rooms?"

Kronos raised an eyebrow. "Oh no, I was having fun with Rhea in our room," he smirked, "but I know all that happens in Othrys."

Koios couldn't resist poking fun at his brother. "In other words Kronos is the world's first stalker."

"Now that is not true," Kronos protested.

"What happened with Rhea then, brother?" Oceanus asked in amusement. "You always seemed to know where she was every moment of every day of every year."

Kronos scowled, "Okay, fine. Enough. As I was saying," he shot a glare at Koios and Oceanus, "I will not kill you in your sleep – mainly because I am not one for shameless acts of killing whilst my target is asleep. It is far more amusing when they are awake so can actually attempt to fight back."

Several of the gods looked slightly disturbed. Zeus cleared his throat as he attempted to dispel the image forming in his mind, "Name your terms."

Kronos raised an eyebrow. "Respect us," he said bluntly, "you do not know the complete facts of why I did what I did. Until you do, it is improper to judge."

"What are you talking about?" Hades asked harshly, "Why you ate us or killing Ouranos?"

"The second one," Kronos said dismissively, "everyone here knows why I ate you."

"So why did you kill Ouranos, then?" Athena challenged.

"He was a terrible father." Kronos said bluntly, "He was never around, threw our brothers into Tartarus, and was… well, putting it bluntly, he was a bastard."

"Not to mention on my birthdays he only ever gave me bruises," Theron added. "Come to think of it, when _is _my birthday?"

"Wait, you don't know your birthday?" Percy asked before he could remember that he had been trying to stay quiet and not draw attention to himself.

Kronos' eyes darkened dangerously as he glared at Percy and the son of Poseidon was really regretting speaking up. "None of us do, Jackson," Kronos growled, "after the first million it is better not knowing."

Theron frowned and turned to Mnemosyne, "You must know… you remember everything."

Mnemosyne sighed. "Time was different back then and you know that, Theron."

"Come on," Theron pleaded, "I really want to know."

Mnemosyne thought for a moment, "Fine, but it comes with a price."

"What kind of price?" Theron asked warily.

"Your exact age," Mnemosyne said triumphantly.

Theron winced. "Damn it," he murmured, "why that?"

"The gods are not aware of how much older than them you actually are. It will do them good to know," Mnemosyne said calmly.

"This is a great idea," Kronos grinned evilly.

"No so far, brother," Mnemosyne said in amusement, "if I say that you are nearly sixteen thousand, four hundred and eighty seven years older than him."

Kronos sighed. "At least I am not as old as Oceanus."

Mnemosyne laughed as she turned to Theron who looked like he was seriously regretting asking her about his birthday. "Do you still want to know?"

"No, I think I will pass," Theron grinned.

"Coward," Hyperion snorted.

Theron raised an eyebrow, "Would you like Mnemosyne to tell you how old you are?" Hyperion scowled at him and didn't answer. "No? Then shut your damned mouth before I do it for you," he growled and his eyes flashed darkly.

Kronos sighed. "Both of you shut your mouths. And, Theron, that is my line. You cannot steal it."

Theron rolled his eyes, "Sorry, Father."

Rhea shook her head slightly, "Honestly, you all bicker like mortals."

Kronos shrugged, "Life is boring without arguments."

"That is true," Tethys said. "Immortality has downsides."

"Like having to reform for several millennia after being chopped up into thousands of pieces?" Kronos asked innocently.

"Yes, exactly like that," Theia nodded.

Artemis turned to look at Styx. She had had an idea in her head for most of the night. "I need to speak to you after this," she murmured, "with Hera, Hestia, Leto, Rhea and Theron."

Styx nodded slightly and tried to catch Theron's gaze, it didn't take long. Styx relayed the message to the Prince and his head moved in an almost imperceptible nod. Kronos' sharp golden eyes saw the movement and he glanced at Theron.

Zeus scowled, "So you want us to respect you? Is that it?"

"No," Kronos said, "after this war we would love to not be stuck in Tartarus any longer. That is the price for us helping you – we will return to Othrys on Mt. Tamalpais."

Zeus wasn't really surprised that Kronos was making that the price. "If you swear that you have no intent to attack Olympus when you return to the Black Fortress then we will be able to _tolerate _it," the words were difficult for the god of the Sky to get out.

Kronos nodded in slight amusement. "Once this war is over then I will. As for now, a small truce should be enough… should it not, Hyperion and Krios?"

"Yes, Lord Kronos," Hyperion said grudgingly.

Krios frowned. "And if we have personal vendettas against them?"

"Then sort them out in the arena under an agreement that no killing is to be done," Kronos said like it was evident.

Krios grinned and his silver-yellow eyes met Jason's. The son of Jupiter paled. Lelantos looked around at the beings in the throne room and grinned in anticipation. "Lord Kronos, we only came out of Tartarus yesterday and I think we deserve to have some fun."

Theron quickly caught onto what his cousin was talking about and looked at his father pleadingly. "Yes, please, Father?"

Kronos quickly looked away from Theron before he caved, and his eyes met Rhea's. He slumped down in his throne. "Fine, go knock yourselves out."

Most of the Titans whooped and slid off their thrones, sprinting to the doors of the throne room which opened as they neared. Theron grinned smugly at his father and turned to look at Rhea. "Thank you, Mother."

Kronos grumbled as he stood up, but Rhea laughed and put her arms around his neck. "They need it," she murmured, "the arena will be able to withstand their fights."

Kronos pulled her towards him and was about to possibly start a heavy make-out session, but Theron quickly interrupted. "Excuse me? I may be very old, but it is still very uncomfortable seeing my parents make out in front of me!"

Kronos chuckled. "And why do you think we do it in front of you?"

Theron grumbled and looked around to check that all the Titans had gone. He gestured Leto over and quickly started striding down the hall towards the gods who stood up as he approached, "Yes, Artemis? You wanted to speak with me? Can you be quick because the Titans will start to fight without me soon?"

"You mean they will start to bash each other's brains in soon," Rhea corrected.

"Yes," Theron grinned, "that to. I want to beat Hyperion within an inch of his life again."

Kronos chuckled, "You stabbed him straight through his back," he recalled.

Theron nodded, "Maybe I can stab him through his front this time?" He mused.

"No stabbing," Rhea said immediately, "not unless he deserves it."

"He called me a coward," Theron said pointedly, "I think that counts."

"I intend to relieve Oceanus and Iapetus of something they do not deserve," Kronos rumbled.

Artemis held her hand up and turned to look at Rhea and Leto. "You feel it, don't you?"

Leto nodded, "Yes, Styx has a different aura."

Rhea smiled. "I am the Titaness of Motherhood; of course I can feel it."

Kronos' head snapped to look at Theron whose eyes were wide. Artemis looked at Hestia and Hera in a silent question. Both of the goddesses nodded. Theron looked at Styx with an indescribable expression on his face. Hestia smiled softly, "I sense a new branch on the family tree."

Kronos looked fiercely at Theron, "Not a word to anyone," he hissed, "am I understood? Keep this a secret, son. If the Titans were to even find out that you are Styx are together there would be uproar. Think of the consequences if they were to find out that you got her pregnant."

Theron nodded wildly, "I understand, Father. They will not find out until after the war, I promise."

Kronos' eyes glinted as he studied Theron for several seconds before he relaxed. "Good." He murmured and his eyes lightened slightly, "Now, I believe the competition that Hyperion and Atlas have set up will be a great opportunity to see how much better than the gods we are at fighting."

Theron nodded though he looked shocked and seemed to be frozen. Rhea frowned as she looked at him, "Kronos, you did not freeze him in time, right?"

"No," Kronos said in amusement, "it seems learning that he is going to have a child other than a demititan has terrified him."

"You know we are going to be stuck raising the child," Rhea murmured to Kronos.

The Titan King gave her a crooked grin. "Then Theron should be wary; I do not have a very good record with annoying grandchildren."

Rhea smiled and kissed him on the lips. "Go," she murmured, "I know you want to."

Kronos grinned evilly and grabbed the back of Theron's top. "We are going, son, you can talk to her later if Hyperion and Krios do not kill you," he started dragging the Prince away.

Theron cursed and tried to wriggle out of his father's grip, but the Titan King had hands of steel. He looked back at Styx desperately, "Come to my room tonight, please? We will sort this out between us. Do not worry, it will be-" The door slammed shut.

"What are they doing?" Hestia asked.

Leto laughed, "Something that I intend not to miss… so if you would excuse me." Leto disappeared into a beam of moonlight.

Rhea shook her head and started walking out of the room. "Perhaps you would like to join me? The Titans are planning on having a competition and I believe this one will be particularly interesting, especially so if Atlas has installed the new simulations."

"Simulations?" Ares asked in excitement.

Rhea shook her head in amusement, "Perhaps if you ask nicely Kronos may let you have a go." The Titan Queen strode out of the throne room with the gods and demigods trailing behind her. Most of them were murmuring excitedly at the thought of what they would see.

* * *

**Next chapter - What fun is Life?**

**Open to suggestions of names (preferably greek) and gender of Theron and Styx's child and also if you want it to be twins... i'm open to anything at the moment.**


	42. What Fun Is Life?

**StandardQKT: Amazing s*** right here! I can't wait for the fights between Titans and Gods and I want to see Theron kick some ass. / The fights between the Gods and Titans... there won't be as many as you think with Theron running around, ad i think it's time i actually gave Theron a _chance _to kick ass. Theron so far has been training most of the time in this story... and now that will start to show.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own PJO and/or HOO**

**A small chapter today since i wanted the fight to have it's own chapter, along with something that happens after the fight.**

* * *

**Chapter 42 - What fun is Life?**

The arena was massive. It was at least the size of the throne room and could fit at least two hundred thousand beings in the stands. The arena was supported by black marble columns that ringed the earth covered floor. Banners hung at the back of the massive coliseum, most of them decorated with a scythe and trident crossed over a purple background, but others were different. One read 'THE TITANS HAVE RETURNED', another said 'TITANS RULZ', one said, 'THE KING IS IN DA HOUSE', and the last one sent laughter through the gods and demigods, 'KRONOS SUCKS RULES'. Someone had obviously tried to cross off the 'SUCKS', but without any success.

The Titans were all either fighting in the arena or crowding around a marble table that Atlas was looking intently at. Kronos looked up as they entered and gave Rhea a crooked grin. The Titan king was geared up like he was about to go to war, wearing his scythe on his back and golden armour with a black trim. Theron was at his side with his helmet under his arm and was wearing his now usual armour set. He looked so similar to his father that several of the gods looked between the two trying to find a difference.

Rhea looked questioningly up at the banner that said 'KRONOS SUCKS RULES' then back at Kronos. The Titan King jerked a finger at Theron who looked at his mother innocently. Kronos rolled his eyes, "It was him, not me."

Rhea laughed, "Of course it was him, as he is the only Titan stupid enough to disrespect you so much."

Theron grinned, "We all know Kronos will not punish me for a harmless thing, unlike the way he punishes the others."

Kronos scowled and cuffed Theron around the back of the head. "You are grounded, that is your punishment. Rhea, could you get the six eldest gods and goddesses over here?"

"In other words our children?" Rhea asked in amusement.

"Yes, fine," Kronos grumbled, "Atlas wants another view on the First Olympian War down in the simulation."

Rhea raised an eyebrow, "The gods' view."

"Why he wants that I have no clue," the Titan King scowled, "it is not like any of us are going to want to do their side."

"What does he want?" Zeus asked Rhea in slight confusion.

The Titaness pursed her lips, "The memories of the six of you during the War that you call the Titanomachy."

"And bring Jackson here too," Kronos said, "Theron and I have added the recent war to the simulation."

Rhea nodded. "Trust me," she said to the six immortals and Percy, "all that will happen is Mnemosyne will make a copy of your memories of the wars you went through."

"What's this for?" Percy asked nervously.

Rhea smiled at her grandson, "We made a simulation to test combat skills. Kronos wants to add your memories of the recent war and the gods' side of the war in the Titanomachy to provide an extra option for the simulation."

The gods and Percy nodded so Rhea led them over to Kronos and Theron. Mnemosyne smiled kindly at them, "This will not hurt as long as you stay still, okay? Just relax and stay calm."

Percy stepped forward confidently, despite wanting to run from the Titan King shooting him a glare. "Can you do me first?"

Mnemosyne nodded and placed her hand on his head. Percy felt uncomfortable with everyone staring at him and suddenly felt a sharp pain in the head. Mnemosyne slowly took away her hand with a string of milky white liquid connecting Percy's forehead and her palm. She pressed her hand against the marble table and the milky white memories were absorbed into the block. Kronos shifted so he could see the hologram that popped up clearer. Down in the base of the coliseum Mist rise out of the ground and formed the image that was above the table - the image of Santa Monica where Percy fought Ares in his first quest. Scenes appeared for a split second before changing. Only seconds after it started the Mist sank into the ground.

Kronos looked expectantly at Atlas who was inspecting the hologram. Atlas grinned and nodded at Kronos, "It worked."

Kronos nodded, "Good, put the other memories in."

"Yes, Lord Kronos," Atlas bowed his head and Kronos pulled Theron off to the side, where they talked quietly.

"What are they talking about?" Zeus asked Rhea as Hestia moved forwards to Mnemosyne.

Rhea glanced at the two Titans briefly before turning to look at her youngest child. "They are deciding which battle to play."

Zeus nodded and took the chance to study his oldest brother. Theron looked completely at ease as he gestured pleadingly with their father, obviously trying to persuade him to do something. Zeus had never realised just how alike to Kronos Theron was. Theron was nearly nine inches smaller than Kronos and he stood exactly the same way – it terrified Zeus. The god of the Sky remembered how harsh and cruel the Titan King had been in the Titanomachy and that Theron had seemed to do everything Kronos had said, following their Father around like a puppy. Now Theron seemed to not care about what Kronos thought, and judging by the banner that he had put up, Theron seemed to like annoying the King.

Before Zeus knew it, Mnemosyne was gesturing him forward. Kronos was scowling as he made his way back over to them with Theron grinning triumphantly at his side. Kronos murmured something to Atlas and the Titan General froze.

"Are you bloody serious?" Atlas shouted, "The two of you could die!"

Kronos shrugged, "What fun is life without some risks?"

"Wait," Rhea said sharply, "what are the two of you planning?"

Theron looked at his mother nervously, "We have to do this, Mother. The Titans still do not trust me, Hyperion and Krios always rant about how I am going to betray us again and I need to prove that I will not."

"What are you planning?" Rhea repeated.

Kronos sighed, "We are going to do the simulation of the Last Battle and are going to play as ourselves."

"Are you mad?" Rhea screeched.

"Possibly," Theron muttered, "but if it starts to go south then Atlas can stop the simulation."

Atlas nodded slightly as he watched Mnemosyne put Zeus' memories into the table. "Only if both of you remember that you cannot forget it is a simulation, otherwise I cannot pull you out."

Kronos scowled, "Theron, if this does not work you will be joining me in the reforming grounds before you can say, 'sorry'."

"Do not worry, Father, I know what to do," Theron said confidently.

"Good," Kronos grumbled, "because I think the Titans will not be very pleased with you if I get cut into thousands of pieces again."

"You could die doing this?" Hestia asked worriedly.

Theron glanced at Kronos and grinned, "We almost die all the time. This will be no different."

Atlas quickly set up the simulation for Theron and Kronos as he ignored Rhea's protests. Atlas looked up at the six gods and Percy. "You should go back over there," he gestured in the general direction of the other gods, "in a minute I am going to have incredulous Titans hounding me to not set up this simulation."

The gods and Percy quickly retreated back to the others as Kronos tried to shut Rhea out by covering his ears. Eventually the Titan king sighed, "Rhea, I swear on the creator I am not going to die in the simulation!"

Rhea looked satisfied at that. "Good," she pulled Kronos towards her and pressed her lips to his, much to Theron's annoyance. "That is one promise that is impossible to break."

Theron watched the simulation in the arena as from the bottom up the front of Othrys formed from the Mist and then faded to black before crumbling so it looked like it was in the process of being destroyed. Atlas looked at Theron and the Prince saw apprehension in his eyes, "It is done… please, be careful, cousin."

Theron nodded seriously, "We will, do not worry."

Atlas studied Theron before shouting, "Titans, Theron and Kronos have chosen to replay The Fall as themselves!"

There was silence, and then the Titans started shouting at the same time. Hyperion cursed loudly and yelled, "Brother, I think your recent defeat has addled your brain!"

The other Titans swiftly agreed with the Lord of Light, shouting their insults at Kronos and Theron. Kronos pinched the bridge of his nose as he struggled to calm himself and not burst into his true form. "Will you all shut up!" He bellowed furiously, "Stop whining like damned mortals!" He calmed down enough to speak normally, but his voice still carried easily over the silence, "The simulation is set up. The best all of you can do is watch and help Atlas if this all goes south."

Several of the Titans flinched at his tone and fell over themselves as they hastily apologised in an attempt to not get him angry. Kronos gave them all a glare as he jumped into the arena with Theron at his side. Rhea went to sit with her children as the Titans focused on the starting simulation. Kronos and Theron strode into the Mist as they took the place of their past selves.

"What's the point of this?" Athena asked Rhea.

"To finish the battle as soon as possible without dying," Rhea said as the simulation started and sounds of explosions were heard, "it tests your combat skills compared to what they were at the actual time of the battle."

"So if they take the place of their past selves and that person dies again like Kronos did…" Athena trailed off.

Rhea's eyes were trained on the simulation as she replied. "Yes, Theron or Kronos will die too."

* * *

**Next chapter - Simulations and A Surprise **

**Sorry it's a small chapter, but next chapter will be longer again (hopefully), and my last one was nearly 5,000 words, so i think i have a reason. That and i wanted to fit the fight in it's own chapter.**


	43. Simulations and A Surprise

**StandardQKT: (chap 1): This is absolutely amazing and I for one do not understand why there aren't thousands of reviews or shet. / Thanks for the review (seriously, thanks.) i was starting to think no one likes this story since no one's reviewing.**

**amazinggalaxy2003: This is awesome! I really wanna see some Kronos and godly children interaction more though. Theron is so gonna kick ass! Please update? / There will be a lot of interaction to come, along with Rhea repeatedly reminding Kronos that he isn't allowed to kill their kids**

**Disclaimer: don't own PJO and/or HOO**

* * *

**Chapter 43 - Simulations and A Surprise**

At first the battle went well. It happened just as it did originally – the Titans were buried under the rubble and the simulation gods dug them out in a process that originally took hours, but was shortened down to minutes. Once the Titans were all lined up and on their knees, Kronos suddenly struck out at Zeus and the god scrambled back as the Titan King lunged towards him. Theron immediately ripped through his bonds and summoned his weapon to himself to fight as the other Titans quickly followed him into the fight. The Titans were on the edge of their seats as they waited for what they knew would happen. One by one, the numbers of Titans started to fall.

"What do you think, sister?" A voice asked behind the gods.

Rhea turned to see Oceanus and Iapetus behind her, "I think that I am going to give Kronos a good talking to for risking his life when I have only just gotten him back."

Iapetus grinned as he sat down on the step above her beside Oceanus. "The two of you seem rather pleased to see each other again if the sounds coming from your room in the night were anything to go by."

"Iapetus!" Rhea exclaimed, "There are children here!"

"What?" Iapetus asked in false confusion, "I am sure all of the half-bloods know about it. After all, most of the problems in Ancient Greece were caused when Zeus could not keep it in his pants."

"True," Oceanus nodded, "you could not swing around a _spartoi_ without hitting one of Zeus' ex-girlfriends."

Zeus looked taken aback. "Excuse me, I'm not that bad."

"Yes, you are," the gods' siblings chorused.

"Actually, dad," Percy grinned, "I think you were worse."

Poseidon frowned and Rhea looked annoyed, "So much for me hoping that you would not use what you inherited to charm women into sleeping with you."

"What?" Zeus asked.

Rhea watched the simulation carefully as Krios was brought down and the Titans in the stands started to tease him. "At least Kronos knows when he should have sex and when not to."

"Mainly because if he does it with anyone except from you, you will castrate him," Iapetus said in amusement.

"Well, yes," Rhea said, "but that was not what I was talking about. I am talking about when Nyx approached him."

"She is one creepy Primordial," Oceanus muttered.

"All Primordials are creepy," Iapetus snorted.

Oceanus raised an eyebrow, "Nyx attempted to have sex with Kronos _when he did not have a body. _I think that takes first place."

Iapetus conceded his point and winced as Hyperion was taken down by an underhanded blow. Koios was blasted with lightning and flung back into the Mist Othrys, cracking the marble wall and being shocked into unconsciousness. The remaining Titans were Kronos, Iapetus, and Theron.

"Here we go," Oceanus muttered and leaned forward.

Iapetus scowled and leaned back, "You just want to see me die."

"Well, yes, but I was not there for this war. I want to see the outcome with my own eyes."

Poseidon and Hades charged Theron, Zeus and Hera went for Kronos, and Demeter and Hestia attacked Iapetus. Kronos' face was twisted in a snarl as he savagely launched himself at Hera and Zeus. Iapetus was struggling to keep the two goddesses at spear's length, stop Hestia's fire from harming him, and burning the plants rising around his legs. Theron was toying with his two brothers as they attempted to hit him with their weapons, but it was a simple matter for Theron to parry away the points.

Then Iapetus was overwhelmed. He stumbled as the earth shifted beneath his feet and vines grew around his ankles, keeping him rooted in place. He bellowed and lit himself alight with silver fire, temporarily freeing his legs. Demeter raised her hands and the vines rose up, curling around the Titan's legs. Iapetus swatted at the plants, but they quickly rose up to his waist, then his chest, and covered his head. The vines started to tighten, and the real Iapetus looked away as his simulation self was crushed.

Theron looked over, sensing it as his uncle was crushed. He didn't think and looked away from Poseidon and Hades, yelling, "Uncle!" He launched himself at Demeter, slashing madly with his trident.

Poseidon darted forward and stabbed Theron through the back. The three points of his trident were shoved through Theron's front. Theron let out a quiet curse as he realised what he had done. StormWraith dropped from his hand and Poseidon pulled his trident out of Theron. The Titan Prince slumped to his knees and fell forward.

Kronos bellowed angrily and launched himself at Poseidon, swinging his scythe as he did so. Poseidon barely managed to parry the weapon and when he did, the force behind the swing knocked the trident out of his hand. Kronos swung his scythe again without any hesitation and cut Poseidon in half. The Titan King barrelled towards Zeus with killer intent, his eyes completely red as he gave into his Instincts.

Several of the watching Titans were arguing with Atlas and trying to persuade him to stop the simulation so they could go to Theron. Surprisingly, Hyperion and Krios were amongst them. Rhea was pale as she watched what had now become a battle for survival.

Zeus charged up his master bolt and blasted it point blank at Kronos as the Titan King leapt at him. Kronos was sent flying back and the gods were upon him.

Iapetus suddenly gasped, "Look," he said incredulously, "Theron."

Theron was weakly scrabbling for his trident with his right hand. He grasped it and dug the shaft into the ground to rise unsteadily to his feet. The Titans were completely silent as they watched. Theron staggered over so he was behind the gods, leaving a trail of golden ichor. Kronos was having trouble fending off the gods with his back to the ruins of Othrys.

Theron stumbled slightly and took a breath. He hefted his trident, feeling the familiar weight settle in his hand, and threw it straight at the back of Zeus' neck. The middle point pierced the god's neck and the force made him fall over forwards. The gods immediately scattered and Kronos struck out, severing Hades' arm before following through and cutting off his head. Hera screeched and threw herself at Theron who lit his hand on fire, ducking under her sword thrust and grabbing her throat. He kicked her legs out from underneath her and snapped her neck.

Demeter and Hestia backed away from the two Titans, one of whom was about to fall over, and the other was absolutely livid. Kronos advanced towards Hestia and Demeter as Theron dropped back and grabbed his trident, pulling it out of Zeus' neck. He leaned heavily on the weapon as his legs threatened to collapse. Kronos planted himself between Theron and the goddesses in an obviously protective stance as he stalked closer to the gods, hypnotically swinging his scythe like a pendulum.

Kronos suddenly darted towards Demeter, knowing that Hestia was more reluctant to attack. Demeter's golden sword was cut right in half by Kronos' strength and the blade part of the weapon fell to the ground with a clatter. Kronos gave her a crooked grin before he severed her head.

Simulation Hestia looked around at the bodies of her siblings, and then the Titan Lord turning towards her, and she let her sword drop out of her hand. Kronos faltered slightly, but the sound of Theron coughing up ichor reminded him that Theron was dying, and he lunged towards Hestia as his scythe shimmered into Backbiter.

Kronos didn't even wait to watch Hestia fall. He quickly turned to Theron as he left Backbiter sticking through Hestia's heart. Theron was breathing heavily and looked like he was about to pass out.

Atlas quickly stopped the simulation, immediately leaping over the table as the images dissolved. The Titans were already on their feet and making their way down the stands. Theron was relieved to let go of StormWraith as Kronos reached him - he had been using too much energy just trying to keep standing. Kronos grabbed Theron before he could fall and quickly, but carefully, picked him up. Theron hung limply in Kronos arms, staining the Titan King's armour even more gold than it was already.

Kronos seemed to disappear into light speed and left behind an after image as he used his power over time. The Titan King reappeared in the stands and laid Theron on one of the blocks of black marble. Rhea stood up abruptly, her face full with fury, and stormed over to her consort.

Kronos clenched his jaw as he studied Theron and crouched down beside him. They had managed to do what they wanted, but at a great cost. Atlas was the first to make it over to the two Titans, and he sucked in a breath at seeing Theron's condition.

Theron grinned weakly at Atlas, "Hey, cuz."

Atlas studied the three holes in Theron's chest. "Remind me to never get in a fight with Poseidon."

"Will do," Theron smiled.

Kronos summoned several flasks of nectar and shifted so that he was holding Theron's head up as he forced his son to swallow the drink of the immortals. One flask was readily drained and Kronos quickly reached for the next one as Theron's wound started to itch. Atlas saw Theron's hand start to creep towards his chest and quickly grabbed it, keeping the Prince's hand away from the three gaping holes. Theron clenched his fists as he drank more nectar and the itching of his chest turned into sharp bursts of pain as his injury healed itself from the inside out. Organs knitted together under the watchful gaze of Kronos as Atlas kept Theron's hands pinned down by his side. Theron gritted his teeth as he felt his insides stretching and changing to heal themselves under the influence of the nectar.

"Kronos," Rhea said sharply as she watched, "you need to stop this – not healing Theron, but doing these stupid things all the time. _Both_ of you nearly _died_. If Theron was even a few seconds later at managing to stand then you would have been overpowered."

Kronos sighed and turned around to face her after being certain that Theron would survive. "The Titans will now trust Theron. If nearly killing ourselves to prove that Theron will not betray Othrys again was really necessary, then it was worth it."

Rhea shook her head slightly, "I do not think you are seeing my point here, Kronos. I do not care about why you did it; I think you made the right choice, but if both of you had died I would not be able to stand it."

Kronos' expression softened slightly. "Sorry, my dear, I was not thinking."

"No," Rhea said in carefully, "you were not," she abruptly turned around and stormed back to the gods. Kronos watched her go with a neutral expression on his face.

"Unlucky, brother," Koios rumbled, "you angered her. Never a good thing."

"I will never understand women," Kronos muttered.

Theron sighed. "Atlas, you can let go of me. It does not hurt anymore."

Atlas released Theron's hands and the Titans watched as the Prince sat up, leaning against the seat behind him. The three stab wounds in his chest slowly healed from the effects of the nectar. Titans and gods were naturally fast healers; the nectar only sped up the process.

Koios looked at Kronos incredulously, "How much nectar did you give him?"

"Enough," Kronos said as he gestured to the empty flasks of nectar.

Theron grinned, "I feel fine."

Atlas shook his head and looked around at the Titans, "So, who wants to go next?"

"We will," Hyperion said immediately, "Krios and I."

Atlas nodded and strode back over to the table. "What do you want to do?"

Hyperion grinned and followed Atlas with Krios trailing after them. Theron scowled as he looked down at his armour, noting the three points from Poseidon's trident. "Great," he muttered as the armour shimmered and turned into a top and jeans, "now I have to fix my armour."

Kronos shifted slightly and looked over at Rhea. Theron raised an eyebrow. "Father," he said warningly, "the two of us have just angered her. It is safer to keep your distance for now."

"I know," Kronos said simply before switching his armour for clothes alike to Theron's. He slowed time and made his way toward where Rhea was sitting with the gods. Kronos swung her around and planted her on his lap only a second after first moving.

Rhea jumped and instinctively elbowed Kronos in the gut. "Immortals, Kronos!" She exclaimed, "How many times have I told you specifically to _not _do that? You will give me a heart attack one day!"

"I do not know – I have lost count, and you are immortal, you cannot get heart attacks," Kronos muttered as he sniffed. "You have washed," he noted.

"And you have not," Rhea said in amusement, "you still smell like a pig sty."

"Sorry," Kronos said sarcastically, "it is not as if there are any rivers or showers in Tartarus."

"Actually, Father," Theron said as he appeared in a column of green flames and startled the gods even more than they already were, "there are five rivers in Tartarus… one of whom seems to be ignoring me for some reason." He cast a glance at Styx who sighed.

"Tell me how many times you have been injured severely enough to possibly die within this year," Styx ordered.

"Four," Theron said carefully, "five if you count when Atlas impaled me with his javelin and Jackson and Annabeth had to drag me through Manhattan to get to his house."

"Was that just after Atlas and Lelantos appeared in the throne room unconscious?" Kronos asked in amusement.

"Probably," Theron nodded and thought for several seconds as the gods warily listened. "What of the half-bloods in Tartarus? Do we call them up? Because I am sure they will not want to stay down there during this war."

"Tartarus would have likely destroyed our army," Kronos muttered, "the half-bloods could have escaped. Hopefully they have, but the monsters would have been too stupid to get out. A year of work…"

"Excuse me, _I _got our army together. You did absolutely nothing," Theron grumbled.

"You had to make up for killing me," Kronos scowled.

"Please, it was an arrow through your heart," Theron growled, "you are overreacting."

"Overreacting?" Kronos cursed, "You killed me!"

"And?" Theron asked, "You have killed me before."

"With reason," Kronos retorted.

"You almost killed me again about a week ago," Theron smirked.

Kronos grumbled under his breath, "With reason, son."

"Reason? I believe nothing is a reason to kill another," Theron said with a raised eyebrow.

"Really? Because if I remember correctly you used to go around the mortal world and play with the mortals by requesting entry to their homes, when they refused you would send monsters to kill them."

"You used to speed up their lives so they shrivelled to dust and died in front of you," Theron argued, "that is worse than just killing them."

"Not so-" Kronos started.

"Boys!" Rhea shouted, "Shut up! None of us care who killed what or who!"

Theron grinned. "Sorry, Mother." His form shifted into one of a DireWolf, making several of the gods' and demigods' eyes widen. He stretched his back and most of his bones popped.

Kronos winced slightly as he watched the ongoing simulation, "Ouch. Hyperion will be complaining tomorrow."

Theron snickered as he curled up on the seat behind Kronos' head. "He deserves to be stabbed in the crotch, not in the lung."

Rhea reached behind her and slapped Theron around the back of his wolfish head. "Be nice to your Uncle."

"He tries to kill me!" Theron exclaimed.

"Because you got it into your head to have sex with Theia," Kronos said bluntly.

"Kronos, there are kids here," Rhea said warningly.

"They have to learn sometime," Kronos said dismissively, "we told Theron less than two days after he was born."

"That was because he is a Titan and already talking and resembled a six year old then," Rhea said in amusement.

"And annoyingly only one hour after he was born, he was running around," Oceanus said from behind them.

Kronos sighed, "I am very… pissed with the two of you."

"Suck it up," Iapetus grunted as he sat down. "We will do what we want."

"I thought the point of being King is that you all have to listen to me," Kronos grumbled, "but all of you have just become more annoying."

"Our duty as the older siblings is to stop your head getting too big," Oceanus grinned, "annoying you is just an added benefit."

Kronos rested his chin on Rhea's head and ignored his brothers as he watched Hyperion and Krios do a simulation that was far less dangerous than his had been. Athena quickly took the opportunity to ask something that had been bugging her, "Why did Theron act that way when he saw Briares?"

Theron growled at Athena, the hackles on the back of his neck rising up as his ears tilted forward. Kronos reached behind himself with one hand and scratched the top of Theron's head in an attempt to calm his son down. "Do you want me to tell them?" Kronos asked carefully.

Theron whined and lowered his head. Kronos sighed, "Seriously?" He asked in slight irritation and amusement, "How old are you now?"

"Older than I care to remember," Theron's voice was raw and vulnerable.

"They deserve to know what they did," Kronos said angrily.

Theron's form shimmered and shrank until he was the size of an actual wolf. He stood up and leapt down so he was on the same level of the stands as Kronos and Rhea. The Prince curled up beside his father, after he gave the Titan King a lick. Kronos intertwined his fingers with Theron's fur as he thought for several moments. "When the six of you," he looked pointedly at his other children, "sent the Hekatonkheires and Elder Cyclopes down to Tartarus to be the jailers of us, you did not take into account that they had a score to settle. Theron was lucky in the sense that you killed him to send him down there, so they did not find him for millennia. When they did find him, they immediately started doing the same to him as they were doing to the other Titans."

"What were they doing?" Zeus asked, "We just sent them down to keep an eye on all of you."

Kronos looked down at Theron and parted some of the fur on his back. "What do you see?" He asked the immortals closest to him.

Zeus leaned over with obvious nervousness at being so close to the Titan Lord. "They look like… whip lashes."

Kronos nodded slightly, "Now do you see why Theron acted that way? Since they escaped from the Hekatonkheires and Elder Cyclopes they have been trying to hunt down all of them and force them to fade. Briares was the last one."

"Wait a minute," Percy said, "Briares was in the Labyrinth with Kampe. If you didn't know where he was, then why was he with Kampe?"

Kronos sighed and looked down at Theron, "How many things have you done without my knowledge?"

"A lot more than you realise," Theron replied.

Kronos shook his head, but couldn't stop the small smile from creeping onto his face. "Definitely my son," he decided.

There were sudden shouts of surprise from the Titans watching the simulation. Kronos frowned slightly, "What in the name of...?"

In the arena the earth was bubbling like boiling water, the simulation shut down and Hyperion and Krios scrambled away from the whirlpool of earth in the centre. Rhea quickly stood up and Kronos soon followed.

"That is not supposed to happen," Kronos muttered as the earth shot up in a geyser. He eyes widened, "Theron, stay here," he ordered.

"But, Father-"

"No buts," Kronos said sharply, "you _will _do as I say."

"Yes, Father," Theron said dejectedly.

Kronos summoned his armour on and started making his way down the stands to the arena with Backbiter in hand. The figure of a women rose out of the earth and Kronos stopped.

"My children," her voice echoed around them and her mouth didn't move, "how nice it is to see you again."

Kronos lowered Backbiter. "Mother," he breathed.

* * *

**Next chapter - The Titans' Blade**

**A lovely surprise for the Titans in the form of their Mother... what do you think'll happen next chapter?**


	44. The Titans' Blade

**amazinggalaxy2003: Awesome! UPDATE again? Pretty please I love your stories! / 30th reviewer. You deserve a cookie. (::) Thanks.**

**Disclaimer: don't own Percy Jackson or HOO.**

* * *

**Chapter 44 - The Titans' Blade**

_Kronos summoned his armour on and started making his way down the stands to the arena with Backbiter in hand. The figure of a women rose out of the earth and Kronos stopped. _

"_My children," her voice echoed around them and her mouth didn't move, "how nice it is to see you again."_

_Kronos lowered Backbiter. "Mother," he breathed._

"Yes, my son, it is I," Gaea said as she spread out her arms, "why do you all fight me? What have I done to make you hate me so much?"

The original twelve Titans were frozen, their various weapons lowered and each of them was staring at her in shock. Kronos swallowed nervously as his hands clenched around the handrail, "Why have you intruded?"

Gaea cocked her head to the side and glided forward over the earth. "To visit my children," she said, "am I not allowed to do that?"

"Not when we are on opposite sides in a war," Kronos growled.

"Then let us not be foes," Gaea said smoothly and her voice seemed to flow over the Titans enchantingly, "join me. Let us be rid of the retched gods together, my son. I know you still harbour a grudge against Olympus, despite welcoming them into Othrys. You wish to see them cast into Chaos, and so do I. Join me, my children, and I will forget your misgivings."

Kronos' eyes darkened as he listened. He looked back at the gods and Theron sucked in a breath, "Oh no." He raised his voice, "Do not listen to her, Father!"

Gaea looked around at the Titans above her in the stands. Hyperion and Krios were standing shoulder-to-shoulder and facing her with their weapons out. Gaea met Kronos' gaze with her own, "We can fight together. Just join me, my son."

Theron gritted his teeth, "Father, she is playing with your mind!"

"Throw the gods and their army out of Othrys, son," Gaea ordered, "then we may talk concerning a certain object in your throne room – or, should I say, under it."

Theron growled under his breath and padded down the stands towards Kronos. "She wants The Blade, Father,_ listen_ to me. Your duty is to protect The Blade."

Kronos' hands clenched and the handrail buckled. "Unfortunately, Mother, Theron is right. I do not care if you wish us to join you. You favour your second brood – the giants. You did not wake for our war on Olympus, yet for theirs you do. Rather unfair, no?" He vaulted over the handrail and landed in the arena. "The Titans' Blade is not something that I am going to willingly give you. You have two choices – leave peacefully now, or start a fight which we will happily finish."

Gaea looked at Kronos furiously. "You dare to speak to me like that?"

Kronos snorted, "The last time I saw you was five years after I killed Ouranos – _nearly two billion years ago. _I consider Ouranos more of a family than you."

Gaea laughed, "I am sure he is very pleased to hear that."

"He is dead," Kronos snorted, "he cannot hear this."

A sudden tornado appeared in the middle of the arena beside Gaea. Hyperion and Krios jumped out of the arena and the Titans scattered as lightning bolts shot out of the strong winds. Kronos looked up at the gods, "Get the half-bloods out of here!" He bellowed over the winds, "I need to take on my true form!"

The demigods immediately started scrambling to their feet and running to the doors. "What's happening?" Percy asked as the tide of his fellow half-bloods almost swept him off his feet.

Theron erupted into a pillar of flames as he travelled up to the gods and demigods. "Somehow Gaea has managed to awaken Ouranos. We are in a lot of trouble. Gaea we could handle… maybe. Her and Ouranos at once? Not a chance."

Zeus' eyes widened, "We can help. If we work together we can defeat them."

Theron shook his wolfish head, "No."

Kronos looked up at them, "Go!" He bellowed, "Theron, go to the throne room with the gods. Get The Blade. We will need it."

Theron nodded and grew so he was the size of two horses. "Let us go," he said to the gods before bounding out of the coliseum. Another door formed in the wall and Theron shot through it. The gods quickly followed and joined the demigods outside the arena. Theron started off charging down the corridor towards the throne room, shooting ahead of his allies as they all ran after him.

They found him in the throne room still in his wolf form. He was sitting down on the marble table and facing Kronos' throne as he chanted in the Old Tongue. The table he was on started rising and he leapt off it as it split down the middle. Theron changed into his mortal form and gestured to his siblings to join him. They hesitated slightly, but quickly followed him into the vault.

Theron lit his hand on fire and held it in front of them as they descended. He could see perfectly fine, but knew the gods' senses weren't as refined as his – one of the advantages of being the Titan of Hunting.

"What's down here?" Hades asked, "I can sense something…"

Theron sighed, "There is an old legend that we have a weapon that could easily bring about the downfall of Olympus if used correctly. All of the second-generation and our army believe that is all it is - a legend. But, the council and Gaea know that is not true."

"The downfall of Olympus?" Zeus frowned.

Theron nodded, "Kronos refused to use it in the First Olympian War – I mean the Titanomachy – and all of us agreed with him. The moment we used it the secret would have been out and we would have had even Primordials attempting to take it. Now it is likely our only hope against Gaea and Ouranos."

"This weapon," Poseidon said carefully, "what is it?"

"Anything," Theron grinned, "it takes on the wielder's preferred form of weapon – and before any of you get any ideas, only one of the thirteen council members can wield it." He looked pointedly at Zeus.

The Sky god scowled, "I'm not _that_ bad with power."

"I was not saying you were," Theron shrugged, "but you _do _have lusts for power. Every single being knows that. Your fatal flaw is power."

"I'm a god – I don't have a fatal flaw," Zeus growled.

Theron rolled his eyes, "Please, you inherited Father's flaw. I did too… sort of. I also inherited a bit of Rhea's – personal loyalty." He glanced at Poseidon. "It gets incredibly annoying sometimes."

Zeus raised an eyebrow, "Two fatal flaws?"

"More like two halves of one," Theron corrected.

"It doesn't seem like your fatal flaw is power," Hestia noted, "I would have thought it was just personal loyalty."

Theron smiled, "Thank you, sister. But I work very hard to hide what I actually think sometimes," he glared at the ground under his feet. "I mean, how do you handle it, Zeus? The lusts for power… lusts to take control and become a ruler yourself."

Demeter looked at Theron carefully, "Lusts to take control?"

Theron sighed, "Yes, sister. I sometimes find myself wanting to kill our Father and become King. What stays my hand is the knowledge that with me in charge, Othrys will be wrecked within the first week."

"You can't be that bad," Poseidon grinned.

Theron laughed, "Kronos let me be King or a day so I would know what it was like – personally I just think he was sick of it himself and wanted to watch whilst someone else did everything for a change. What happened was the first Greek fire bomb setting fire to the kitchen."

"A Greek fire bomb in the kitchen?" Hera asked incredulously, "What happened?"

"Kronos refused to let me within fifty yards of the kitchen for several years," Theron grinned, "and the cooks kicked me out of the kitchen every time I went there." The gods laughed as Theron sniffed indignantly, "Kronos never let me be King ever again and instead decided to teach me why to not summon electricity in the kitchens whilst I was only trying to help cook something."

"What were you trying to cook if you made Greek fire?" Poseidon asked in amusement.

Theron shrugged. "How was I to know I was going to make Greek fire?"

The gods' eyes widened as they emerged into a cavern made of marble. The walls were engraved with images of the thirteen Titans of the council. Theron rolled his eyes when he saw the exaggeration of the images. In one of the scenes Theron and Kronos had locked their weapons together and were visibly straining against the other in an attempt at overpowering the other. Another image showed Theron as he created the first natural disaster known to mankind, the extinction of the dinosaurs – the first monsters.

Floating in the very middle of the intricately made cave was the blade of a sword. The Titans' Blade was made of Ancient Othryian Iron and along the steel were the marks of the thirteen Titans that had made it.

Hera started to step towards it, but Theron quickly stopped her. "Wait," he murmured and looked around for something to throw. He turned his attention to the ground and willed a stone to rise. Theron grabbed it and threw it on the floor across the room. Immediately a roar filled the cavern and a black shape detached itself from the shadows. Theron started walking towards the massive dragon that loomed in front of them as he spoke in the Old Tongue.

Eventually the dragon lowered his head and backed away slightly. Theron inclined his head, "Ator, I would be honoured if you could send word to your brethren in Tartarus. We are in need of their assistance. Also the half-bloods in the Pit will need help getting out – if they are still alive."

Ator snorted and smoke enveloped Theron. The Titans Prince sighed, "Yes, I know your duty is to defend the Blade, but we are no longer in need of your help up here. I am sure your brothers and sisters would appreciate your arrival."

Ator melted into the shadows and shadow travelled down to Tartarus. Theron sighed, "Damned fussy dragon."

"What – or who – was that?" Hera asked.

Theron grinned, "One of the original Elder Dragons. There are seven of them: Ator – who you just met - , Favnir, Lagiocrus, Hirador, Zoralth, Serelath, and Kisenth."

"Elder Dragons?" Demeter frowned, "I've never heard of them before."

"Not many have," Theron nodded, "they are the elder cousins of Drakons and Dragons, and they are very demanding. I do not recommend getting in an argument with them – they are very temperamental. Anyway," Theron grinned as he turned his attention back to the Blade, "let us get what we came here for."

"Why did you want us to come?" Hades asked.

"There is security on the Blade to stop anyone from taking it." Theron explained as he started walking towards the weapon, "I believe Oceanus set an enchantment that flooded this chamber – that is why you are here, Poseidon. Hyperion – as usual – was a little fire happy. Kronos set up arrows to fire that you would have to stop in time. Iapetus planned for undead warriors to rise. Krios messed about with the stars and placed some down here somewhere that would explode, and Koios made sure that the weapon could only be picked up by one of the thirteen Titans. I will be struggling to stop the arrows so all of you will have to do the rest whilst I grab the Blade."

"Why don't you tell Kronos?" Hestia asked, "About your lusts for power."

Theron raised an eyebrow. "Tell our Father that I have urges to cut off his head and take his throne?" He snorted, "Gee, that sounds like an _absolutely terrible idea._"

"No need to be sarcastic. I was only trying to help," Hestia muttered.

Theron took a breath. "Sorry, sister, it is just Father fears the prophecy from Ouranos is incomplete."

"And do you think so?" Hera asked.

Theron stopped walking as they reached the Blade. "I think, and hope, that it is complete." He grinned and reached towards the weapon, "Ready?"

His siblings nodded and Theron moved his hand closer to the Blade, activating the security. Arrows shot out of the walls as water bubbled up through the floor. Theron concentrated on stopping the arrows, but quickly realised that his powers over time were too weak. He settled for slowing the arrows down and grabbed the Blade as Hestia and Poseidon stopped the fire and water rearing towards them.

Zeus watched around for the explosions that marked the stars Krios had put in the cavern, but there were none. Theron studied the Blade for several moments before he sheathed it at his side in the sheath that had appeared when he picked it up. There was a loud rumble above them, followed immediately by a star imploding.

Theron cursed, "I have to give credit to Krios, as he definitely knows how to sow mayhem." He turned and ran for the exit with his siblings running behind him. Hades attempted to slow down the rubble with his control over the earth as Zeus used the winds to blow it off course slightly. Poseidon and Hestia made a path for the seven of them and Theron kept the arrows moving in slow motion.

Theron laughed as he looked back and saw the cavern collapse inward as they sped into the tunnel. They ran the entire length of the tunnel and he grinned as the entire structure started collapsing around them. It reminded him of when Othrys was falling apart and the Titans were scrabbling madly as they attempted to get out.

It was only when he had to duck to avoid having marble fall on him that Theron became serious. Cracks raced past them, streaking across the walls and racing toward the stairs about a hundred yards in front of them. Theron dropped back and his form shuddered as he morphed into a DireWolf. He charged up behind Hera and Demeter, knocking their legs out from under them. The two goddesses shouted in surprise as Theron took off with them on his back. Theron bounded towards the stairs and leapt up them with his sisters desperately hanging onto him.

Theron jumped up into the throne room, startling all the demigods and gods, along with Krios who had appeared in sea water with a large gash across his chest. Krios was sitting up against his throne and Theron glanced at him before diving back into the vault to get more of his siblings out. He decided that since Hades was more used to being underground he would leave the god of the dead until last.

Poseidon and Hestia were running as fast as they could and Zeus was flying along as an eagle beside them. Theron shot past Poseidon and the god grabbed him, swinging himself up onto his back. Poseidon leaned forward like Theron was a racehorse (which the Titan wasn't too pleased about), and reached down to pick up Hestia and deposit her behind him. Theron raced forward with Zeus flying above him as the floor buckled and cracked beneath his paws. Theron jumped to the side as a section of the floor collapsed. His paws drummed against the marble floor as he neared the stairs and they broke apart, falling down into Tartarus.

Theron jumped for the ledge several dozen feet away and above them. Poseidon and Hestia slipped off as soon as he landed. Theron quickly leapt back into the tunnel to get Hades and found the god a hundred feet away. Dust rained down on them and part of the ceiling fell above Theron. The Titan Prince raced to Hades who gratefully swung himself up. Theron dug his claws into the floor and charged towards the gap in front of them.

"You will have to jump," Theron ordered.

"What?" Hades asked incredulously, "Are you crazy?"

"No," Theron panted, "and unless you wish to fall into Tartarus you will listen to me."

Hades stood up slightly as they neared the gap, and Theron jumped. The god of the dead jumped off Theron's back as Theron was at the highest point of the jump. Theron immediately shifted into his mortal form as Hades managed to safely get into the throne room.

Theron unsheathed the Blade and his left hand scrabbled for a handhold as he fell. It was the Blade that saved Theron. He stabbed it into a crack where it slid down for several yards until lodging in the wall (in sword form) and jerking to a stop.

Theron was hanging nearly fifty yards below the floor of Othrys with a one-way ticket to Tartarus beneath him. Hades' head peered down the hole and Theron idly noted that the god looked worried.

"Are you alright?" Hades called down. Yes, Theron decided, he was definitely worried.

Theron looked down into the inky blackness, and then back up to Hades. "I am hanging above an entrance to Tartarus, brother. What do you think?"

Hades frowned. "None of us can help you – Tartarus' influence is too great."

Theron sighed. There were only a handful of options available, and all of which were certifiably insane.

The Titan Prince looked down into the gaping pit below him and took a shaky breath. Theron had to somehow attract Tartarus' attention, and he wasn't looking forward to it. Sure, him and Tartarus were on friendly terms, but the Primordial terrified the ichor out of Theron and enjoyed toying with him.

The Titans' Blade started to slip down slightly and Theron slid closer as he began to feel the power of the Pit pulling him towards it and weighing him down. A golden comet tail trailed out of Theron and descended into the throat of the pit. Theron's grip slackened as Tartarus attempted to pull him down, and he could hear the gods and several Titans shouting in alarm.

His energy started to leave him and he could hear Gaea's laughter. "Pull him, Tartarus! Do not let him escape!" Her serene face appeared in the rock in front of him, "You see, grandson? I always win."

Theron punched her in the face. "You speak too much," he growled angrily, "I am not finished yet."

"Then perhaps I should speed up your fall?" Gaea asked mockingly and the rock the Blade was embedded in started to turn to quicksand. The Blade slid down several yards and Theron felt Tartarus give a tug at the same time. His right hand was forced off the Titans' Blade. Theron threw his left hand up and grabbed a piece of rock as time seemed to slow; he couldn't let Gaea get the Blade.

Theron desperately reached to the sword as the small ledge he was hanging from crumbled under his weight. He managed to grab the blade part of the sword with his right hand, and cut his hand as he fell with the Blade in his grasp.

The weapon pulsed with light as his ichor stained the blade. _"Finally," _the Blade hummed with energy, _"after nearly two billion years, we wake."_

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**Next chapter - **

**Sorry it was up so late, my new story 'Confused by Time' sort of took over for a few days as I had some inspiration. Anyway, what do you think of the Titans' Blade?**


	45. Fighting the Sky

**amazinggalaxy2003: Yes! Finally some sibling time with no one killing each other! I hope you update soon! / I was quite happy to finally give the kids of Kronos time to bond, Olympus knows they sort of need it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO and/or HOO.**

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**Chapter 45 - Fighting the Sky**

_The weapon pulsed with light as his ichor stained the blade. _"Finally,"_ the Blade hummed with energy, _"after nearly two billion years, we wake."

To say Theron was shocked to hold a talking weapon in his hand was an understatement. He almost didn't register the fact that he was falling into Tartarus. Theron could feel his grandmother's anger that he had the Blade in his hand, and he was happy that he hadn't let her get hold of it. The voices of the fourteen eldest Titans (including himself) yammered on in his head, until they all suddenly quieted. The Blade suddenly lit up with energy and Theron stopped falling. Everything seemed to move in slow motion, and Theron shot up into the throne room of Othrys around two hundred feet above him.

The gods stumbled back as the vault doors grinded closed. Theron studied the Blade for several seconds, in a slight daze from the amount of power the weapon emitted. He quickly sheathed the sword when he realised he was getting carried away.

"Theron," Hades said incredulously, "how…? You just…"

Theron grinned, "Secrets must be kept, my dear brother."

Hades shook his head slightly. "Are you alright?"

"Fine," Theron said, though he couldn't hide his small grimace as he realised that he had somehow managed to put a part of himself in the Blade, "never better."

"As Kronos so often says, nephew," Krios called, "you are a terrible liar."

"Oh, shut up," Theron grumbled.

Krios carefully climbed to his feet, "Why are you lying?"

Theron sighed, "Because the Titans' Blade can talk," he scowled, "somehow we managed to put a part of ourselves into it. Likely a side effect of us _inserting_ our powers."

"I did not expect that," Krios muttered.

Theron nodded slightly, "Me neither. Incredibly annoying to hear myself shouting, _'Kill the gods! They killed Father! Return the favour!' _and _'How in the name of Tartarus could Othrys fall? I will murder the gods!'_"

Krios laughed, "A drastic change to your current self, no?" he paused for several moments, "Oh, and, nephew?"

"Yes?" Theron asked warily.

"Ouranos was asking for you," Krios said bluntly, "something about returning the favour."

Theron grinned crookedly, "The favour of chopping off his head?"

"Yes, that one," Krios said in amusement, "and, uh… he managed to get Kronos."

Theron froze. "What?" He demanded as he turned on the older Titan.

"Ouranos tried to get Rhea, and Kronos – the fool that he is – jumped in the way," Krios said carefully as he watched Theron's reaction.

Theron growled under his breath and disappeared in a column of Greek fire. Krios smiled slightly, "That is my job done."

"Your job?" Hestia asked incredulously, "He will get killed!"

"You underestimate him," Krios growled, "and all of us are out there risking our lives for your sorry asses, whilst you cower in here like wild dogs. The least you could do is help!" He hesitated slightly, "Not that we need it, of course."

"Of course," Zeus said dryly.

The air shimmered and a perfectly fine Prometheus appeared in the room supporting a limping Perses. Prometheus avoided Krios' glare as he helped Perses down.

Krios glowered at his nephew, "Finally managed to persuade Oceanus to travel you in here."

"Perses needed my help," Prometheus defended.

"No, I did not," Perses growled, "and I do not now. You just wanted a way out of the fight before you were injured." He turned to look at Krios, "You finally sent Theron down?"

Krios snorted, "He almost fell into Tartarus. That is why he took so long."

Perses grinned, "He has turned the battle around singlehandedly. The Titans' Blade is absorbing all of Ouranos' lightning bolts."

Krios looked relieved, "Good. We may win this battle." He surreptitiously glanced at the gods, "But, if the gods help this will be over faster, with less injuries, and may be a bonding experience. Chaos knows we need it if there are going to be no arguments."

Zeus looked at his brothers who nodded. Zeus summoned his armour and master bolt to him as his siblings all the same and the rest of the gods quickly followed. Zeus lightning travelled into the arena.

Krios grinned when the last god had gone. "I am rather good at this, am I not?"

Prometheus sighed and attempted to help Perses to his feet. The Titan of Destruction growled, "Piss off," he swatted away his cousin's hand, "I am not an invalid."

"Okay," Prometheus said as he quickly withdrew hands, "sorry."

"You should be," Perses scowled.

"Shut up," Prometheus muttered.

"What was that, Weasel Breath?" Perses asked innocently.

"Weasel Breath?" Prometheus spluttered.

"Oh, yes," Perses smirked, "Metis can be rather creative when it comes to nicknames."

Prometheus glared at Perses. "If you do not shut up, I will…" he struggled to think of a good threat.

Perses snickered, "Come on, cousin, think." Prometheus whacked Perses round the head and Perses scowled, "you little-"

"Boys," Krios interrupted in mild irritation and amusement, "both of you, shut up." The younger Titans quickly did so and Krios smiled slightly, "Thank you."

Prometheus shifted his leg slightly so he kicked Perses. The Titan of Destruction growled, "Alright, that is it!"

Krios groaned as the cousins started squabbling again. "I am seriously starting to regret voting to come here."

* * *

Theron wasn't sure what he was expecting when he arrived in the arena and summoned his armour to him, but seeing vines circling the pillars and a massive storm raging _inside_ whilst the Titans fought dozens of earthborn wasn't really surprising. Kronos was fighting Ouranos and the Primordial was formed out of pure electricity as he only fought with his powers.

Theron unsheathed the Titans' Blade as he realised that Krios – the idiot that he was – had lied to him when he said that Kronos was out of action. Theron could see that Kronos _had_ been hit as his armour was blackened and his true form was weaker than usual. Kronos' true form was incredible – a warrior made of a swirling golden aura which flickered with heat and energy. Around Kronos the air was superheated with enough energy to spontaneously combust a demigod from just being within miles of him. Luckily for the demigods, after the Titans had found out that true forms killed lesser beings they had immediately reinforced the walls of Othrys to prevent it from happening again.

Theron raised the Blade up to the storm and concentrated on drawing it over to him. Ouranos' head shot up and his eyes narrowed when he saw Theron. The Primordial bellowed and a lightning bolt shot down towards the Prince. Theron positioned his weapon to block the bolt, and released a blast of Greek fire from the point. The fire went straight towards Ouranos and Kronos dived out of the way. Ouranos roared in pain and stumbled back as Kronos charged forwards to duck under his Father's searching hands and stab Backbiter into the back of his leg.

Theron grinned and walked forward, influencing the air beneath him to harden and support his weight. "Hello, grandfather, nice to see you again."

All of the Titans were focused on the weapon held in Theron's hand. Ouranos' stormy blue eyes flitted down to look at the sword and his eyes glinted. _"I assume that is the Titans' Blade?"_

"Yes, and you are not having it," Theron smirked.

"_Then I shall have to take it,"_ Ouranos hissed and started forward. Kronos barrelled towards his father and swung Backbiter, impaling Ouranos' leg. Ouranos glared at Kronos. _"You will die, son,"_ he promised, _"whether by my hands or Gaea's. No one disrespects us and gets away with it!"_

Theron raised the Titans' Blade and shot a jet of green fire at the Primordial. The flames were shoved to the side by a gust of wind and Ouranos laughed, _"You think you can beat me? I am the father of Othrys. Gaea and I, we are eternal! We own you, flesh and blood!"_

"_No one _owns me," Kronos growled, "I make my own life. Something that you do not know how to do if you allow Gaea to play you."

"_Gaea is not playing me,"_ Ouranos scowled, _"I am helping her of my own will." _

Theron grinned, "Why would you do that if it was her idea that got you killed?"

Ouranos hesitated slightly and his eyes flickered a different colour for a moment, then it was gone and he glowered at Theron. _"Nice try, grandson,"_ he admitted, _"you almost had me there."_

Theron studied Ouranos for several seconds as the Primordial stalked towards him. The Prince was realising what was wrong. He controlled the winds to propel him forwards, but almost immediately they stopped in their tracks. Theron cursed as he tumbled to the ground and rolled to stop himself breaking a leg. Theron rolled sideways as a lightning bolt shot by him and smashed into the arena stands, sending rubble and dust flying.

Ouranos bellowed in laughter, _"I am the sky, the air and the wind around you! Just like you cannot control Gaea, you cannot control me!"_

Theron scrambled to his feet and held his hand out for the Titans' Blade. The sword shot into his hand and Theron looked up at the Primordial towering above him. Ouranos reached down to pluck him off the ground, but Theron swept the Blade above his head and cut into the palm above him. Ichor dropped onto Theron as he retreated back from the angered being.

Ouranos slowly lumbered after him, taking his time, knowing that Theron couldn't defeat him alone and all the Titans were concentrating on the Earthborn. _"I will kill you,"_ Ouranos growled, _"after I flay your flesh from your bones, and give you eternal agony. Consider it a very late first birthday present."_

Theron swallowed, "You may want to return it. I would prefer something _nice_ as a present." A lightning bolt shot out of the storm above them and landed in the stands. When the dust cleared Theron saw his youngest brother standing there. The Prince stopped for several seconds and slightly surprise – he had thought the gods would prefer the stay safe, but obviously he was wrong. Theron idly thought he should give them more credit; they were apparently more courageous than he had known.

Ouranos took advantage of Theron's distraction and swung his hand. Theron went flying back into the base of the stands, the Blade falling from his grip. His back smashed into the base of the stands and he fell to the ground in a heap, groaning and curling into a ball as his back throbbed.

Ouranos looked down at him smugly and a shaft of lightning formed in his hand, stretching until it was nearly twice as tall as Theron. _"Maybe Tartarus will be kind to you, grandson,"_ Ouranos said mockingly as he moved the point so it was above Theron's heart, _"or maybe not."_ He added and stabbed down.

A black sword severed the bolt in half before it connected with Theron's chest. "_Do not touch him_," the Titan King's eyes were almost black in his anger as he planted himself between the two beings. He held his hand out and Backbiter returned to him as he glowered at his father. Although he was only around a quarter of the Primordial's height at twelve feet, he seemed taller than usual.

Ouranos looked down at Kronos as the remaining lightning in his hand dissipated. "_I shall do what I want!"_ He boomed, _"Do not worry; your time shall come soon. After I chop of your son's head."_

Kronos bellowed and charged the original Sky King. Ouranos blasted lightning at him, but Kronos slowed it down in time and did a baseball slide directly under it. Backbiter slid into the foot of the Primordial and out beside his Achilles heel. Ouranos fell to one knee and Kronos jumped, intending to bring Backbiter down on his father's back. The sword slid in beside the middle of Ouranos' spine, and Ouranos arched his back in agony. A tremendous blast of energy erupted from the Primordial and sent Kronos flying back to the stands. A lightning bolt shot down into the mid-flight immortal and the Titan King slammed into the top of the stands. He fell down several of the seats before lying limply with his body half off the edge of one. Backbiter landed on the floor of the arena, and Ouranos laughed triumphantly. The Titans cried out in dismay as they saw the broken form of their King.

Ouranos picked himself off the floor as ichor pooled around his feet. He held his hand out and the half of the lightning bolt beside Theron flew towards him. _"So much for him,"_ Ouranos said dismissively as he turned back to look at Theron who was struggling to crawl away, _"and now to deal with you."_

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**Next chapter - Death of Two Kings**

**So Kronos is down and the Titans are in trouble as they fight the Father of Othrys. What will happen next chapter for Olympus and Othrys?**


	46. Death of Two Kings

**Sorry it was up so late, the next chapter won't be up for at least six days, unfortunately, so enjoy this chapter while it lasts.**

**Disclaimer: don't own PJO and/or HOO.**

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**Chapter 46 - Death of Two Kings**

Theron later tried to explain what it was like to the Titans.

He could feel the energy from the lightning bolt as it extended to its original size and around him the air smelled of ozone. He was flipped over by the wind and his back screamed in protest. Ouranos studied Theron for several moments, probably savouring the feeling, before he stabbed downwards without hesitation.

Theron rolled to the side at the last second, and instead of piercing the middle of his chest, the tip of electricity went straight through his right shoulder and into the ground. Millions of vaults of electricity shot through his body, and he writhed on the ground as a scream erupted from his throat. Theron was dimly aware of the Titans shouting and trying to get to him as Ouranos made a sound of disappointment.

"_Oh no," _he muttered, _"that will not do. It has to be the heart." _

Theron shut his eyes tightly. Zeus' bolts had been nothing to this. It felt like he was being dipped in a vat of acid that had been combined with water from the Styx and being electrocuted by his youngest brother at the same time. He felt it as Ouranos pushed the spear in further, keeping him impaled on the ground.

Theron whimpered as a fresh wave of electricity shot through him, making his muscles twitch. Then Ouranos' eyes widened in disbelief as the lightning spear he had made started dissolving into the air. Theron curled over, his hands clutching at his right shoulder in an attempt at stopping too much ichor joining the quickly growing puddle on the floor. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Oceanus running to Kronos.

"_Who dares to interfere?"_ Ouranos bellowed angrily.

"I do," Zeus said as he strode forward, not unlike Theron had. He dropped slightly as Ouranos attempted to make him fall, but then quickly regained control.

"_Who are you?"_ Ouranos hissed.

Zeus looked surprised that the Primordial didn't know him, but quickly took advantage of that. He took out his Master Bolt which quickly became a spear of shimmering blue, lightning. "I am Zeus," he announced, "god of Honour, Justice, and the Sky. King of the gods and Olympus… and youngest son of Kronos and Rhea."

Ouranos blinked. _"A god?"_

"Yes," Zeus said simply as he continued forwards. Several of the Titans were watching, many of them hoping that the god would be knocked out of the Sky. "A god. The race of immortals that came after the Titans, as a result of your stupid prophecy, and I shall kill you like my Father before me."

Theron concentrated, knowing his little brother wouldn't even be able to touch the Primordial unless he helped. He may have been a terrible brother so far, but he intended to change that. He focused on the monsters roaming the plains beneath him and drew their powers into the arena. All the immortals felt the already big amount of power in the arena peak.

Gaea was obviously more focused on what was happening as she stopped making the Earthborn and the Titans quickly finished them off. The air shimmered beside Zeus, and Rhea appeared beside him, looking incredibly tired, yet determined. Theron took a breath and slowly rose unsteadily to his feet, swaying slightly, but he felt the power of his domains flow through him. Atlas flashed to his side and helped Theron by keeping the Prince's right arm around his shoulders. Soon Theron could stand by himself, but he still kept his arm around Atlas' shoulders so he wouldn't fall. He held out his hand for the Titans' Blade which flew towards him.

The two Titans flashed to stand by Zeus as the gods moved forward, each of them wearing full battle armour with their weapons out and pointing at the Primordial in front of them. One by one, the Titans appeared in the air beside Zeus, each of them looking worn and tired, but determined. The last Titan to appear beside Zeus was Oceanus. The eldest Titan looked like he was about to charge his father and kill him then and there as he held his sword by his side. If the gods were surprised to have the Titans levitating in the air beside them, they didn't show it.

Ouranos' eyes flashed dangerously, but Theron could sense his hesitation. The Primordial clenched his hand into a fist and a lightning bolt shot down towards the group of immortals. Theron raised the Blade and directed it towards himself before firing it at Zeus. The energy in the bolt gave the god as much power as Theron usually had – enough to possibly beat Kronos at full strength.

Ouranos eyed Zeus as the god pulsed with energy. Zeus' Master Bolt hummed and seemed to fry the air. "We may be weaker than you by ourselves, but if Kronos and only four of his brothers can defeat you then the forty of us definitely can."

Ouranos glowered at Zeus. _"Are all of Kronos' children as annoying as you and Theron are?"_

The seven siblings shared a look between them before saying in unison, "Yes." Theron grinned and added, "It is inherited."

Ouranos studied the seven immortals and Theron knew immediately what he was going to attempt. The Primordial smiled slightly, _"Then fight me. Just the seven of you. I can sense you are weaker than my children at full strength, perhaps you would like to prove otherwise? After all, your Father is going to die, so I may as well finish the set."_

"No," Rhea said immediately, "you are in no position to be making demands, Father."

Ouranos' blue eyes stormed over and he fisted his hands. Above them, the storm grew in size and lightning flickered above them. He roared and dozens of bolts shot down at once. To the shock of everyone there, they slowed down drastically until they were almost at a standstill.

Theron looked at Kronos to see the Titan King's fingers twitched slightly. He breathed out in relief. "KILL HIM!" Oceanus bellowed.

The Titans and gods charged towards the Primordial, all of the Titans forgetting their injuries as adrenaline rushed through their bodies. Oceanus stayed in the air and watched the battle, intending to vapour travel out any being that was injured so that they couldn't fight any longer. Theron raised his sword and charged, shooting through the air like a bullet as he followed Zeus. He was on Zeus' left with Poseidon and Hades beside him. On Zeus' right were their sisters. Hestia's usually peaceful look was replaced by the goddess that had survived the Titanomachy. Ouranos attempted to swat the seven immortals out of the sky, but Theron twisted under the massive hand and slashed with the Blade, making a long laceration down the Primordial's arm. Beside him, Poseidon sent a blast of water to shear a hole straight through the hand heading towards him. Out of the corner of his eye, Theron saw Atlas as he swung his javelin to smash into the closest limb to him. The gods and Titans worked together to create opportunities to wound the Primordial. Hyperion blasted fire at Ouranos' other hand and the Primordial jerked his hand away from his son and straight into the path of Hephaestus' hammer. Ouranos let out a bellow of pain as the hammer smashed into the back of his hand. Lelantos, Leto, Artemis and Apollo were firing arrows into the most painful places possible, managing to distract the Primordial every time they connected. Theron made a mental note to never get on his niece's bad side – he rather liked not being castrated. Theron created a star inside Ouranos' chest and sent a beam of light down towards it, making it explode inside his grandfather's body. Ouranos threw his head back and one of his hands moved to cover the gaping hole in his chest as the other swung round towards Theron. The Titan Prince's eyes widened and he dropped into a dive in an attempt to avoid the limb. Ouranos focused almost completely on swatting Theron out of the air and the gods and Titans took it in stride.

It only took a quick thought from Koios for all of the Titans to form a line in front of Ouranos. Theron headed straight towards them and Ouranos faltered when he saw all of them facing him with their weapons out. They shouted as one and a tremendous wall of force rolled out of each of them, blasting back the Primordial of the sky. The gods found the wall passed through them harmlessly whilst forcing Ouranos out of his true form from the pain.

Theron dropped to the ground, breathing heavily as Ouranos attempted to change back into his true form, but he quickly found that he was too weak after sending incredibly powerful bolts of lightning after all the immortals around him.

The gods looked between the form of the Primordial and the Titans, immediately noticing the similarities between them. The Titans held themselves like royalty, just like Ouranos. They each had a glint in their eyes that could mean they were either about to punch you or tell a joke, and they were all around twelve feet tall and muscular. The Primordial's skin was the colour of the midnight sky with glittering stars, which sort of ruined the power he had shown whilst fighting them all off.

Ouranos struggled to his feet, swaying slightly as he did so. Theron changed out of his divine form and the Titans and gods quickly did the same. Hyperion disappeared in a column of fire, reappearing in front of his father. He roared and punched the Primordial in the sternum, probably breaking a few ribs. Theron looked at Koios and the Titan nodded slightly. The Prince limped forward and his brethren parted for him, creating a path to the front. As Theron passed the gods he caught his siblings' gazes and inclined his head in a gesture for them to join him. Zeus hesitated slightly as Poseidon, Hestia and Hades moved forward, but he quickly fell into step beside them. Hera and Demeter soon joined them and they met Theron midway to Ouranos. The Primordial was held at sword point by the Titan of Light and seemed to know what his eldest grandchild was planning as he was glaring daggers at Theron. Theron strode past Backbiter which lay discarded on the floor, holding his hand out with the palm down and silently willing the sword into his hand. Backbiter shot up into his left hand and Theron sheathed the Titans' Blade at his waist.

"What are we doing?" Hera asked nervously.

"I am giving you a chance to prove yourselves to the Titans," Theron glanced at his youngest sister, "if you want it, of course. I thought that if you helped me it may cause the Titans to respect you more and our agreements should be smoother."

Hestia's eyes widened. "You want us to cut him up into thousands of pieces?"

"No," Theron said immediately, "I will do that. You just have to hold him down… and try not to get kicked in the face like Iapetus did. You will never hear the end of it."

Zeus looked more hesitant than Theron had thought he would. "Are you sure about this? I mean, he _is _the Primordial of the Sky."

Theron sighed, "You did it to our Father, did you not?" He glanced up at where Kronos was lying limply and quickly averted his eyes back to Ouranos. "Why is this any different?"

Zeus frowned, "It feels like I shouldn't do it. I have a gut feeling that something will go horribly wrong if I do."

Theron thought for several moments before turning to his siblings. "Do all of you feel it?" He asked and they nodded. He smiled slightly, "Good, because what this entails is following on our Father's footsteps."

Poseidon's eyes widened, "But that means…"

Theron nodded slightly, "It means accepting your heritage and embracing your Titan sides. You may not like it, but all of you are part Titan if not the whole of you. Is it really so bad being a child of Kronos and Rhea?"

"It's not bad being a child of Rhea," Demeter said, "but I'm not sure about being a child of Kronos."

Hyperion looked up as they approached and nodded to Theron. The Prince inclined his head slightly, "Thank you, Uncle."

Hyperion looked at the gods before turning to Theron. "All of us know what you are trying to do, nephew. Do not mess up… and if the gods do not have the guts I will happily wield the scythe."

Theron rolled his eyes and turned back to look at his siblings. "Look, if worse comes to worse then I will sort everything out. What is the worst thing that could happen though? You get more powerful because you accept that you are part Titan. The Titans will not mind if you are in Othrys. Worst of all… you have to accept that I am your older brother." He raised an eyebrow at his siblings and offered the hilt of the Titans' Blade to Zeus.

Zeus made a split second decision and took the weapon, flipping it round and holding it out to Theron. "I'll help," he said quietly, "but you're doing the cutting."

Theron snorted. "I know I am," he looked to his other siblings and all of them nodded.

Hestia frowned slightly, "This isn't right," she muttered, "we're debating over who should cut him up."

Theron smiled darkly, "There is no debate over that. I have a _lot_ of unfinished business with our grandfather." His golden eyes glinted not unlike Kronos' when the Titan King had fought all of the gods in the throne room nearly a year ago.

Hades was tempted to ask why his brother hated the Primordial so much, but assumed he wouldn't appreciate that. He looked down at the form of Ouranos that Hyperion still held at sword point. "How are we going to do this then?"

Theron shrugged, "Take a limb." He turned to face Ouranos and his father's weapon shimmered as it changed into scythe form. "How are you feeling, Grandfather?"

Ouranos' eyes narrowed and probably would have attempted to blast Theron into oblivion if Hyperion hadn't moved his golden, flaming sword threateningly. _"I see you are still a damned brat,"_ Ouranos sniffed, _"no respect for your elders."_

Theron smirked thinly, "I have respect for beings that deserve it. You, however, _beat me._ That does not deserve respect."

Ouranos laughed, _"I taught you how to behave since your Father refused to do so."_

Theron clenched his jaw and nodded to Hyperion. The older Titan moved back and Ouranos quickly started to rise, but the gods were faster. They pinned the Primordial down to the ground and Theron strolled forward, swinging Kronos' scythe by his side. "This time, you are going down to Tartarus and you will never leave."

"_I have done what I came here for,"_ Ouranos said as he looked Theron in the eyes, _"Kronos is close to death if he is not dead already. Gaea and her giants will come for you next. Mark my words, Theron, Prince of Othrys; you shall fall by the hand of Gaea or one of her Giants. I swear it on Cha-"_

Zeus quickly punched Ouranos in the head without even thinking as he realised that the Primordial was attempting to curse his brother. Theron shook his head and the lead weight that had started forming in his stomach unravelled. The scar across his left eye rippled as he scowled and clenched his hands around the shaft of Kronos' scythe.

Ouranos snickered, _"You think that was a punch? I am disappointed at what my ichor has given rise to. You are not worthy to be immortal, much less a King. Maybe if you get stronger you could beat a mortal, or-" _Theron swung Kronos' scythe. The gods watched in sick fascination as Theron cut again and again until the only obvious thing left of Ouranos was his head. The sky blue eyes open and staring up as the light faded.

"Uh… Theron, I think that was a little much," Poseidon said cautiously as he looked around at the thousands of pieces of Ouranos scattered around them.

Theron looked at his siblings, his eyes a dark gold. "Nobody hurts or disrespects my family."

Zeus was slightly surprised as he realised that Theron was talking about him, He noticed Theron was looking at him funny and frowned when he didn't have to look up at his brother. "You've shrunk," he noted.

Theron grinned widely and shook his head. "No, you have grown."

Zeus looked at Poseidon and his eyes widened. His brother looked like he was chiselled from a block of marble, his sea green eyes were swirling with power and his muscles were more defined than before. Poseidon caught Zeus' look. "What?"

Theron looked at his siblings smugly. "You all look a lot more like Titans. I told you that you would be accepted, and with the physical change you should feel more abilities manifesting… Titan Instincts or control over time – of course it will take a lot of practice until you are at our standards, but it will happen. Our Father is – oh immortals, "Theron cursed, "how could I have forgotten?" He took off towards the Titan King with his siblings close behind.

The gods were standing awkwardly in the arena, obviously not sure what to do as the Titans crowded around their King. Theron launched himself up the stands, taking two steps at a time. He shoved past the Titans and stopped inside the small ring, his eyes immediately tunnelled to his Father.

High above them, the sky turned the colour of blood outwards from the sun and the death of Ouranos became known to every being. Theron felt like he was in a trance and wading through tar as he walked forwards with all the Titans looking at him sympathetically.

"No," Theron said shakily as for the first time in millions of years tears threatened to fall, "it's impossible. He can't…" He stumbled towards Kronos and knelt down within arm's reach of the Titan King. "Father, you can't leave me," he placed his ichor covered hands on either side of Kronos' face and leaned forward, "come back."

"Theron," Iapetus said gently, "even immortals cannot cheat death. You of all beings should know that."

Theron stubbornly shook his head. "No," he argued, "I don't believe it. He isn't gone. He's Kronos, he comes back from anything." Theron took Kronos' hand in his own even as he knew the truth and a single golden tear rolled down his cheek to land on Kronos' chest. _Gaea was cunning,_ Theron thought furiously, _sending Ouranos to lower morale and get his revenge. The others will be reluctant to fight now._

Theron looked down into the open eyes of his Father as the Titan King gazed unseeingly back at him with a look of peace and acceptance on his face. Idly Theron wondered if Kronos had seen them kill Ouranos and had accepted the six elder gods as his children in his last moments.

Oceanus looked at Theron sadly. "All hail Theron, eldest son of Kronos, and King of Othrys."

A feeling of grim determination settled in Theron's stomach like a lead weight and his hand tightened around Kronos' limp one as he silently swore to get revenge on Gaea and her brood of giants. He looked around at the Titans as their expressions changed from misery to fury. Othrys was no longer going to hold back and Theron would make sure of it. But first… his eyes turned back to Kronos.

"Apollo," Theron's voice was loud and clear, "get the Physician's Cure here… now." His voice left no room for argument and Apollo hurriedly left.

"Theron," Koios said warily, "you are not doing what I am thinking, right?" Theron evenly met Koios' gaze and a clear challenge shimmered in his molten gold eyes.

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**Next chapter - The Cure**

**And Kronos dies! Ouranos dies (again)! Theron had entered a warpath, which will be fun when he meets any Giants on the battlefield.**


	47. The Cure

**amazinggalaxy2003: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Just as I was starting to like Kronos, he dies! Why are writers so mean! / Haha, well I'm happy that I succeeded in making you like him, I thought it would take a long time. And, honestly, his character's so fun to write. I think we all get extra enjoyment out of our readers' tears.**

**avada96: Started reading this yesterday and just couldn't stop. Great story, can't wait for the next chapter. / Wow, you managed to read the entire story in a day?**

**Over 10,000 views! Thank you so much for all your support during this story.**

**disclaimer: Nothing has changed since the last chapter - I don't own PJO and/or HOO.**

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**Chapter 47 - The Cure**

_"Apollo," Theron's voice was loud and clear, "get the Physician's Cure here… now." His voice left no room for argument and Apollo hurriedly left._

_"Theron," Koios said warily, "you are not doing what I am thinking, right?" Theron evenly met Koios' gaze and a clear challenge shimmered in his molten gold eyes._

Krios wanted to know what was happening. He had a sickening feeling in his stomach as he looked around at the Titans and gods that Oceanus had travelled into the throne room. Ares had been the first to appear with a large gash down one leg and he was closely followed by Dionysus who looked like someone had tried to turn him into a pancake, but had only managed to give him a few broken ribs. The Apollo campers had quickly started going around all of the injured gods whom had waved them away and ordered them to heal the Titans that had far worse injuries.

Apollo's kids had warily approached the Titans before carefully starting to heal them, being extra careful to not make the wounds any worse for fear of the Titans getting angry. Menoetius and Epimetheus had been travelled into the throne room whilst supporting each other; Astraeus had a large hole through his chest, Eurybia had been stabbed through the gut by an earthborn and Themis and Theia had been electrocuted by their Father. The campers had soon managed to put the fact that they were healing Titans behind them and were working quickly to heal the immortals.

Krios attempted to help at first, but one of the demigods had quickly waved him away saying that they didn't need his help. Krios had limped back to his throne and sat down to watch the demigods work. His eyes scanned the demigods, noting how more and more of them were warming up to helping the Titans. His eyes flared a dark blue as he saw Jason Grace the son of Jupiter working beside a Cherokee girl. Krios' hand snapped up as he felt a demigod climb onto the armrest of his throne. Will Solace let out a yelp as the Titan's hand closed around him.

"Just what do you think you are doing, little demigod?" Krios rumbled.

Will crossed his arms and tried to ignore how tight Krios' grip was. "You're limping," he said evenly as he defiantly stared right back at the Titan, "I'm a healer. Work it out."

Krios scowled, "I am fine compared to my brethren."

"I know that," Will grinned, "but you _are _injured and it's a healer's job to heal anyone who needs to be healed. Even if they refuse."

Krios sighed. "You will not leave me alone unless I let you heal me, will you?" He sniffed.

Will shook his head. "Not a chance."

Krios looked irritated as he carefully placed the son of Apollo back on the arm rest. "Fine," he conceded, "heal me and be gone, little demigod."

Will quickly climbed back down the Titan's throne and Krios made a mental note to smooth out anything that could be used as a handhold. The demigod quickly set to work, not wanting to take any longer than necessary as he knew how uncomfortable Krios was with bending his pride enough to accept being healed.

It didn't take long for Will to finish healing and quickly backed away from the Titan. As he did so thunder rumbled overhead and was strong enough to shake the fortress. Krios shot to his feet, instinctively summoning his massive sword to his hand.

There were sudden shouts from the demigods and they all started pointing up. The ceiling was see-through and they all had a clear view of the sky. Krios watched as the sun shimmered and rapidly turned red. It billowed like smoke to cover the entire sky, within two minutes the whole of the sky was red.

The demigods were panicking and Krios sighed. "Alright, half-brats, shut up!" Most of them turned to glare at him and when he raised a challenging eyebrow there was silence. He turned to look up at the sky, "This is a very historic moment so remember it. It will never happen again, and I mean _never._"

"What's happening?" Annabeth asked curiously.

"The Sky is falling," Krios smirked, "and that means that Zeus will be rather less powerful for a while, which brings the powers of all the gods down."

Eurybia sighed and vapour travelled to his side where she promptly slapped him on the back of the head. "Stop messing around," she chided, "you are over two billion years old. Act like your age."

"But where is the fun in that?" Krios snorted and turned back to the demigods. "This means that Ouranos has fallen."

There was silence until the demigods started cheering. A loud crack echoed around the room. Krios' head snapped around to look at his brother's throne as part of the armrest fell off. The obsidian throne looked dull as a crack split down the middle and parts of the throne started falling off and shattering on the floor.

"What's wrong?" Krios noted that the son of Poseidon seemed a little too excited. "What's happening to Kronos' throne?"

Krios walked over to the rubble and crouched down with a horrible feeling in his gut as he picked up a chunk of obsidian. "Nothing," he murmured and looked up at Eurybia. "It is like…"

Eurybia put her hand on his shoulder and he leant into her. "I know," she muttered.

Krios clenched his hand and crushed the piece of obsidian. He looked around at the demigods looking at him expectantly. "A Titan's life-force is connected to their throne. If the throne breaks apart, the Titan is dead," he said bluntly.

The demigods' eyes widened. "You're saying Kronos is dead?" Percy asked carefully, though he didn't sound too upset.

Krios' eyes darkened and he rose to his feet, "Watch your tongue, _half-blood, _that is my little brother you are talking about," he was trembling in his anger and the air rapidly became colder. "Kronos told us you were the most reckless and foolish demigod ever born. I could kill you without even lifting a _finger._ You would do well to remember that you have no friends amongst us."

Percy dry swallowed nervously and was about to speak when a bright flash indicated a god flashing into the room. Apollo seemed all business as he looked at the god of healing. "Asclepius, I need the Physician's Cure immediately."

Asclepius looked startled, "But, Father, I'm not allowed to give anyone that anymore. Zeus said I couldn't go around bringing people back to life."

Apollo gritted his teeth. "Zeus had agreed with this. Krios is right, Kronos has died and Theron ordered me to get it," he paused slightly, "and my uncle looks on the verge of attacking everyone in sight."

Asclepius reluctantly nodded, "Fine. Just don't waste it. They are very hard to make."

Krios tore his gaze away from Percy. "I will come," he said.

Apollo shook his head, "That won't help anyone. Trust me; you don't want to see Kronos."

Krios' eyes narrowed. "He is my brother," the Titan hissed.

Apollo shrugged. "Fine then," he said, "make an Arke-message or whatever it's called. But if you come it'll just be crowded."

Krios reluctantly nodded and Apollo flashed out of the room with the Physician's Cure in his hand. He reappeared at Theron's side as Krios formed an Arke-message. Theron ignored his uncle as he held his hand out for the vial. Apollo clutched it close to his chest.

"You don't know how to do it," he said, "I'll do it."

Theron scowled, but took a step back as he let go of Kronos' hand, though he never took his eyes off Apollo, which was more than a little unnerving for him. Apollo thought about how he would get the Cure into Kronos. The Titan King was dead so he couldn't swallow (obviously) and Apollo couldn't just stick the viscous liquid down his throat. The god of healing was pretty sure Kronos wouldn't appreciate having it put there either. Apollo summoned a needle to his hand and filled it with the Cure. He filled the needle with the fluid and slid it into Kronos' jugular, pushing down on the end to insert the Cure.

Theron was watching his Father for any sign of moment, but when minutes passed and nothing happened he looked visibly defeated. "What went wrong?"

Apollo shrugged helplessly, "I don't know."

Athena frowned slightly. "The Physician's Cure has only been used on mortals before. Maybe it doesn't work on immortals?"

Theron sat down beside Kronos and put his head in his hands. Oceanus sighed, "Well, we cannot do much for him now. If he is not responding to the Cure then there is absolutely nothing that will help."

Theron clenched his jaw. "This is my fault," he murmured, "if he hadn't had to jump in between Ouranos and me this wouldn't be happening. If I was stronger-"

"No," Hyperion growled, "you did as much as you could. It was foolish of us to think that even with the Blade you could have fought him off alone."

Koios nodded in agreement. "As thick-headed as Hyperion is he actually has a point."

Hyperion grinned, "Yes, you see – hey, wait a minute!" He glared at Koios who smirked at him.

Oceanus smiled slightly, "Hyperion, you are not exactly the brightest Titan around, which is ironic as you are the Lord of Light."

Hyperion scowled, "You can talk, Fish Face."

Oceanus sniffed, "It is a _merman, _not a _fish_."

"No difference," Hyperion said dismissively.

Oceanus' deep blue eyes flared. "If you think-"

"Which he does not," Koios interrupted.

"Shut up!" Oceanus and Hyperion shouted in unison.

"Hey, you might want to see this," Theron called over. The Titans and gods looked at him to see he was crouching at Kronos' side with two fingers resting on his Father's neck. Theron grinned up at them. "He has a pulse. Very weak, yes, but it is there."

The Titans immediately perked up. "It worked?" Koios asked incredulously. Even the gods looked happy, though for some of them it seemed forced. Theron placed his hand over Kronos' mouth to see if he was breathing.

"Keep your hand there and it will be bitten off," Kronos threatened weakly. Theron quickly jerked his hand back, a small smile pulling at his lips.

"Well," Iapetus said brightly, "if you are already threatening then you must be fine."

Colour was rapidly coming back into the Titan King's tanned skin as he lay there. Kronos shifted slightly to get into a more comfortable position. Theron studied him carefully, "Father, can you open your eyes?"

Kronos opened his eyes and they immediately tunnelled to Theron's shoulder. "You are injured," he frowned.

Theron sighed and covered his right shoulder. "You just died so shut up about _me _being wounded." He gestured Apollo over and the god warily approached.

Kronos twisted his head slightly to glare at Apollo. "You take a single step closer and I will tear your head from your body."

Apollo stopped immediately and looked at Theron for help. Theron ignored Kronos as he snorted, "Do not worry, Kronos can barely lift a finger at the moment, much less his whole arm and hand to tear off your head."

Apollo smiled slightly and quickly made his way to Kronos' side despite his protests. Theron took off his Father's armour, feeling some electricity still running through the metal still. It was whilst he was putting it out of the way that he felt gentle hands touch his shoulder and looked up to see Apollo healing his injury along with a slightly smug Titan King.

"Thank you," he murmured and Apollo nodded slightly before turning back to look at Kronos.

Theron frowned as he studied his Father. Kronos' golden top was blackened and singed and the Prince had a sinking feeling as he thought of what was under it. His hand attempted to lift the edge and Kronos couldn't stop the hiss of pain that erupted from his throat.

He grabbed Theron's hand. "Not here," he scowled. His eyes flickered to the Arke-message where the demigods were watching and Theron immediately understood – Kronos didn't want them to see how bad the injury was.

He hesitated before shaking his head. "Sorry, Father," he murmured, "but they have to see. We are working together and I know you do not like it, but they will have to learn to trust you and you to them."

Kronos' grip slackened and his hand fell down to his side. He clenched his jaw and looked uncertain before nodding slightly, "Fine."

Apollo looked up at Oceanus and Poseidon. "Can we get some water here?" A bubble formed above them. "_Slowly_ wash his chest."

Kronos shut his eyes as the water descended onto his chest and his face twisted in pain as golden ichor mixed with water pooled on the ground. Theron hesitated before looking at Iapetus, "How bad is it?"

Iapetus focused on Kronos for several moments, and almost immediately doubled over clutching his chest. He lost focus as he did so and Oceanus quickly steadied him. "You okay?" Oceanus asked carefully.

Iapetus looked at Kronos sadly. "How in the name of Tartarus are you not screaming bloody murder?"

Kronos laughed weakly, "I was cut into thousands of pieces, compared to that this is nothing."

"You tolerance to pain is... scary, brother," Iapetus murmured.

Apollo managed to pry part of Kronos' top off and instantly paled at what was underneath. "Holy Hades," he muttered and glanced up at a slightly amused Titan Lord, "my non-existent respect for you just sky-rocketed."

"Good to know," Kronos winced.

Apollo gave a tug and lifted the rest of Kronos' top up to reveal the wound. The whole of the Titan King's left side was covered in ichor and the skin was blackened around a gaping hole. It looked like a vat of acid had been poured over him and had eaten away at his side. White ribs and other bones showed up and several of them were visibly broken.

Kronos lifted his head slightly to look, but Apollo quickly and carefully pushed him back down. "You look and it'll hurt _a_ _lot_ more."

"I do not think it _can _hurt anymore," Kronos retorted.

Theron looked at Apollo, worry and fear dancing in his golden eyes. "You can heal it, right?"

Apollo seemed hesitant as he quickly looked over Kronos. "It depends on whether you have an infirmary here or not."

"Please," Koios snorted, "we are hardly the barbarians you think us to be – though I cannot say the same for Hyperion. Of course we have an infirmary."

Theron raised an eyebrow. "An infirmary that has been collecting dust for several millennia and all the medicine in it has likely become fatal. I am not even sure Kronos and I reverted it back it time so it may still be buried under lots of rubble."

"You did," Metis said, "I went in there earlier. Found an infestation of rats, but apart from that it was fine."

Perses grinned. "Did you find lots of flies too?"

Metis gritted her teeth. "Perses, if I hear one more fly joke from you then you will resemble a flattened and dead one."

"Really? You could not even touch me," Perses snorted.

"Getting a bit ahead of yourself there, cousin. I am not interested," Metis said dismissively.

Perses' eyes widened. "What?" He spluttered.

"Both of you, stop it," Theron ordered.

Apollo looked thoughtful as he studied Kronos. "I have everything I'll need in the room I chose so that should be fine."

Theron dry swallowed and crouched down beside Kronos. "How are we going to get you to the infirmary?" He mused.

Kronos scowled, "If I go to the infirmary I will go insane from boredom."

"You are already insane," Theron argued and ignored the glare directed at him. He glanced up at his uncles. "Can you four help me?" They nodded and strode forward as their armour changed into mortal clothes.

Kronos covered his wound as Theron took his left shoulder. "On four," he looked up at Oceanus, Hyperion, Iapetus, and Koios who nodded, "One, two, four." They lifted their cursing King up onto their shoulders.

Kronos was spouting curses at Theron in the Old Tongue as he attempted to stop himself from shouting in pain. Oceanus was supporting Kronos' right shoulder and wincing slightly from his language. "We got you, bro, calm down."

"_Do not_ tell me to calm down!" Kronos bellowed, "You try getting burnt straight through organs!"

"No thank you." Oceanus muttered before saying to Theron, "Ready to go."

"Same here," Koios said, "I am ready to go."

Iapetus was supporting Kronos' side and was being very careful about what he touched. His shoulder brushed his brother's injury and Kronos let out an ear-splitting bellow of pain. Theron almost dropped him as ichor dripped out of his ears and they started ringing.

Rhea darted forward and quickly placed her hands on either side of his head as she leaned forward to press her lips to his. Kronos' shout instantly died in his throat and he relaxed slightly as he hungrily kissed his consort.

Rhea pulled away after several seconds. "Do not worry, my love, Apollo is an excellent healer."

Kronos was breathing heavily as he attempted to control the pain to stop it from overwhelming him. "I hate you, Iapetus," he growled.

Iapetus looked sheepish as several of the Titans glared at him, though most of them laughed. Theron quickly fire travelled himself and his five uncles into the infirmary, not really wanting to waste any more time. They immediately carefully lowered Kronos down onto a bed as he complained about having nothing to do. Theron's ears were still ringing so he summoned a piece of ambrosia to heal himself with as he sat beside his Father and waited for Apollo.

His four uncles studied the severely out of date medicine stocked on the shelves around the room. "Look," Hyperion snickered as he picked up a vial, "out of date even _before _The Fall."

Theron smiled slightly as his other uncles started trying to find the vial that had been out of date the longest and it quickly became a competition. Kronos watched in slight amusement as his brothers ran around the room in mad dashes to the different shelves.

Theron attempted to clean himself of the ichor that had been dripping from his ears, but soon found that he couldn't reach it all. He growled under his breath and Kronos chuckled, "Come here," the Titan King ordered.

Theron hesitated a moment before sighing and moving closer to him, allowing Kronos to remove the last of the ichor. Theron grinned slightly, "I forgot you get soft when you are mortally wounded."

"I do not," Kronos argued, but he knew that he did become soft on certain occasions.

Theron raised an eyebrow and shifted closer to him and lying beside him. Kronos half-heartedly tried to shove him away, but Theron just made himself shrink to six feet and curled up beside the Titan King.

Kronos looked startled as he studied his son. "You are not a child any longer, son. You have not been one for two billion years."

"No one is ever too old to not be a child," Theron argued.

Kronos scowled and shoved Theron off the bed. "I may be soft at the moment, but not that much."

"Found it!" Iapetus shouted triumphantly as he held up a vial, "Out of date fifty years before The Fall."

Apollo appeared in the infirmary in a golden flash and looked around the infirmary with a bag over one shoulder. He raised an eyebrow at the Titans holding various vials of medicine and cleared his throat as he pointed to the door. "Get out," he ordered and turned to Theron. "You too, uncle, and I don't want to know what you're doing on the floor."

Theron quickly scrambled to his feet as his uncles put the vials back on the shelves. Apollo gestured to the door again. "The five of you get out of my infirmary."

"What do you mean 'your infirmary'?" Theron demanded, "It is ours."

Apollo shook his head. "I'm the god of healing, and that means that my domain is infirmaries. Now, get out." Apollo crossed his arms over his chest.

Theron stubbornly sat down on a bed, "No."

Apollo sighed. "I know you want to be here with Kronos, but all of you'll just be in the way."

Kronos nodded, "Go. The Titans will need to be organised and I certainly cannot do that from here. You have to step forward and volunteer, son."

Theron's eyes widened. "What?" He asked incredulously, "But I am not ready!"

"You are, Theron," Kronos said sternly, "I have not spent one and a half _billion_ years teaching you for nothing… and if Apollo is as good of a healer as you and Rhea think him to be then I will not be here for very long. So can I trust you?"

Theron's eyes steeled and he stood up as he squared his shoulders. "You can count on me, Father."

"Good," Kronos murmured, "I trust you will not cause mass panic again?"

"Father," Theron whined, "that was millions of years ago!"

Apollo cleared his throat. "Out, now."

Theron quickly retreated from the infirmary and followed his four uncles, glancing back as he stopped in the doorway before quietly shutting the door and leaving his Father to suffer at the hands of the god of healing.

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**Next chapter - Keeper**

**amazinggalaxy don't worry, as you can see, he's still alive. I couldn't kill off my favourite character (joint with Theron, but it still counts as favourite).**

**So who's surprised/annoyed/happy that Kronos is still alive?**


	48. Keeper

**amazinggalaxy2003: ily *sigh of relief* thank god / Haha, I guess you're happy he's still alive?**

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**Disclaimer: don't own PJO or HOO, and never will.**

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**Chapter 48 - Keeper**

If the Titans set their minds on something they could complete it very quickly. It hadn't taken long to fix the arena up so there was no evidence of the fight that had happened there, and the Titans that had been injured were very soon up on their feet and moving about. Kronos' throne had rebuilt itself upon his revival and returned to its normal lustre. The gods had helped with the arena and there were a few arguments, only most of which almost had weapons drawn (which in Theron's opinion was an improvement). The Titans had happily listened to Theron's orders, most of them pleased that they weren't leaderless with Kronos out of action.

Once the arena had been fixed Theron had ordered a quick council meeting to discuss how the war was going to be fought. The gods had the army and the Titans had the experience. Theron was going to have to find a middle ground which would be almost impossible.

Once the throne room was as silent as it was going to get with twenty-three Titans, several dozen gods and a couple hundred demigods, Theron started the meeting. He looked at the Titans. "If any of you have any problems with me taking over Lord Kronos' position whilst he is healing, please speak up now," he looked meaningfully at Hyperion and Krios, but they didn't even seem like they wanted to argue.

Hyperion shook his head. "For once you will have no argument from me, Prince. Not after how we all saw you wielding the Titans' Blade."

Koios nodded in agreement. "Just like his Father and his scythe. The Prince has a natural affinity to the weapon."

Krios chuckled. "Perhaps then we have found its Keeper."

Theron's eyes widened. "What? I cannot take it! The Blade was made for the thirteen of us, not just me."

"You are rather experienced at keeping things to yourself, Prince. Remember when you stole your Father's scythe and it took him a week to get it back?" Phoebe asked.

Theron's lips twitched in a small smile. "He would not as much as look at me for years."

Hyperion scowled. "You used to be a thief."

"Used to?" Themis murmured, "He still is one."

"Thank you," Theron smirked.

"Not a compliment," Themis retorted.

Oceanus frowned slightly. "I am still trying to find out how he managed to get our brother's scythe into my palace without me noticing."

Theron grinned up at the ceiling as he avoided the looks of the Titans. "Now that would be telling you all my secrets."

Several of the Titans narrowed their eyes and Theron cleared his throat. "Since none of you seem to have any problems with me ruling other than my slight tendency to steal then we should be fine." He looked across the room at the gods, "You have the army, and we have the experience. Would you not agree, _little _brother?" He smiled slightly as he addressed Zeus.

Zeus reluctantly nodded. "The demigods are good fighters… for mortals, and Poseidon's army of Cyclops is strong. Hephaestus' automations are very strong and have all sorts of advantages."

Theron frowned slightly and looked around at his aunts and uncles. "Should we tell them?"

Koios shrugged, "Does it really matter? Within a day at most they will all be here so they will find out either way."

Krios thought for a moment. "You sent Ator down to them, did you not?"

Theron nodded, "Yes. With his six siblings they should not take longer than seven hours, unless they run into trouble."

Hyperion snorted. "What being would be powerful enough to go up against the seven eldest Elder Dragons?"

Theron held his gaze evenly. "The same Primordial whose domain they are currently in and managed to stall all of you for several hours in a fight. Lord Tartarus himself." The room darkened drastically and the temperature dropped to below freezing.

"That is a problem," Oceanus mused, "if he decided to interfere with them not only will we have lost our army, but the half-bloods too."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Zeus asked.

Theron studied his brother for several seconds. "How long do you think we Titans have been active on Gaea without your knowledge?"

Zeus' eyes narrowed slightly. "I don't know. How long have you all been active?"

Hades smiled slightly, "Since before 1945."

Theron chuckled. "You remembered when I came to you as Seth."

Hades inclined his head. Theron tapped the arm rests of his throne as he thought about what to say. "During what is known as World War One to the mortals we started stirring. Kronos had developed enough of a consciousness to speak to all of us and gather us together at Othrys in Tartarus. What do you think we did during the time that we waited?"

Zeus' eyebrows scrunched together as he raked his mind for an answer. "I don't know."

Theron smiled slightly. "How many half-bloods do you think defected from Camp Jupiter and Half-Blood? Fewer than you think."

"Why were there so many demigods in your army then?" Athena asked.

"Firstly," Koios said, "we sent monsters out to find demigods before your satyrs did and brought them back to Mount. Tamalpais."

Zeus nodded – he had suspected that they had been doing that. "But what had you been doing between then and when all of you first started to stir?"

Theron shut his eyes. "We had more half-bloods in our army than you thought as not all of them were demigods."

"Doesn't half-blood mean demigod?" Percy shouted and several campers nodded in agreement.

Theron immediately shook his head. "There is another… type of half-blood out there, and they have been around far longer than demigods." He opened his eyes and they seemed to look straight into Zeus' soul. "There are demititans in the world. The ones that still live are in Tartarus and currently being evacuated by Ator and his siblings."

Athena sucked in a breath. "How many are there?"

"Twenty-six," Koios said immediately.

"Twenty-five," Theron corrected.

Koios' head snapped round to his nephew, "Twenty-five? Who died?"

Theron avoided his gaze, but couldn't stop the single tear that rolled down his cheek. Koios sucked in a breath, "Oh, nephew," he said sympathetically. "Why did not you tell any of us?"

Theron shrugged, "No point."

Rhea shook her head sadly, "Who was it?"

"Peter," Theron murmured.

The gods were silent. None of them had even thought that the Titans had sired kids, much less cared for them. Hyperion shook his head, "Your brat that could control water?"

Theron nodded slightly, "He was shot in the back helping his siblings run." His eyes found Chiron's, "When the centaurs arrived in the Battle of Manhattan."

Chiron's eyes widened as he caught the implied meaning. "I killed him," he muttered.

Theron laughed bitterly, "You killed him alright. Why else do you think I happily blasted you into the wall of a skyscraper?"

Chiron swallowed. "I'm sorry, if I'd known I would've-"

"Still killed him anyway?" Theron asked with a small smile.

Chiron's eyes widened even more. "No! He would've been my nephew!"

Theron shook his head. "Do not worry, brother. I am past it… it is just rather hard talking about it." Chiron hesitated and nodded. "As I was saying originally, we have demititans that are currently making their way out of Tartarus to join us here and they will be very valuable as they seem to all have inherited our skills in combat."

Zeus looked at him carefully, "Was Peter your only-"

"No," Theron said, "five of mine are still alive."

Zeus' eyes widened, "Five?" He spluttered, "You had six kids out of the twenty-six?"

Koios laughed, "You can say that Theron was the… Zeus of our times."

Zeus' eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

Theron shrugged, "Not really that bad, but yes. Six of them were mine."

A voice suddenly shouted, "Get back to the infirmary right now! If you enter that throne room I will get the Titans to drag you back and tie you to the bed with duct tape!"

The throne room door opened automatically and Kronos strode in. The first thing the Titans and gods noticed was that he was only wearing a pair of jeans. The gods were more than a little surprised to see the six pack across his chest whilst Rhea stared at him with shameless interest. Kronos' eyes were almost black as he stormed towards the second generation Titans. They all quickly started scrambling out of his way.

Apollo ran in behind Kronos looking very irritated. "Kronos! You take one more step over there and I will burn your ass so hard that you will not be able to sit down for years!"

Kronos acted like he hadn't heard Apollo as he grabbed one of the Titans around the neck and dragged him into the centre of the room. He summoned Backbiter and rested it on the Titan's collarbone.

"Kronos," Iapetus said warily as he stood up, "what are you doing?"

"I put the shield around Othrys up," Kronos growled, "the only way Gaea and Ouranos could have gotten in was if it was taken down. I ran through a list of the Titans and arrived with him as the culprit."

Iapetus looked down at his son that Kronos was holding at sword point. "Is this true?" He rumbled.

Prometheus laughed, "Of course it is! All of you are fools if you think you can defeat Gaea. The Earth Mother has been asking other Primordials for help, Ouranos was only the first to reply! So many more of them are coming here! You are all doomed!"

Kronos clenched his jaw and looked at Iapetus. The Titan of the Underworld reluctantly nodded and sat back down. Kronos flicked his wrist and severed Prometheus' head. Kronos turned to look at the other Titans. "Are any more of you helping Mother?"

The Titans all immediately shook their heads. "No, Lord Kronos," Atlas said confidently.

Kronos looked back at Apollo who nodded slightly. The Titan King relaxed and Backbiter shimmered before disappearing. Koios cleared his throat, "Get some clothes on, brother. Rhea looks like she is about to jump you."

Kronos smirked and flexed his arms. "Jealous, brother?"

Koios snorted, "Hardly. I would just rather you and Rhea kept that activity confined to your room."

Theron nodded in agreement. "Yes, Father, please keep the PDA to a minimum. I only saw the two of you practically a week ago."

"And whose fault was it for entering my room unannounced?" Kronos retorted.

"Yours for not locking the door," Theron said smugly.

Kronos scowled at him and Apollo cleared his throat. "Back to the infirmary for you, gramps."

"What did you just call me?" Kronos glowered at the sun god.

Theron snorted, "You _are _his grandfather, Father."

Apollo grinned, "Kronos, you have one of your lungs burnt through so there's practically nothing left and half of your stomach's completely destroyed. I'm honestly surprised you didn't bleed out completely and die again, so get your damned _malákes _back to the infirmary immediately."

Kronos shook his head. "I can stand and that is good enough reason to be up and about."

Apollo threw his hands up in exasperation, "I've never had a patient as bloody stubborn as you! Never! In my entire life!"

Oceanus laughed, "Kronos is the most stubborn being ever born."

Kronos shot him a glare and turned back to Apollo. "If I stay in the infirmary I will very quickly get bored and you do not want that, do you?" Something in the Titan King's eyes made Apollo quickly shake his head. "Good, because last time I was in there I became so annoyed with the healers that I entered my true form and spontaneously combusted every non-immortal in and around Othrys." His sharp golden eyes found Percy's and he smiled slightly, "Probably not a very good idea with demigods running around. Of course, I have no problem with starting a three-way war to get rid of a certain few demigods."

Apollo swallowed nervously. "I guess you don't have to stay in the infirmary after all," he said weakly, "since you can stand and walk there isn't any reason for you to stay in bed all the time."

"Exactly," Kronos said coldly.

"Kronos," Rhea said disapprovingly, "you cannot blackmail the gods."

"And why not? This is my fortress. I can do what the bloody Tartarus I want," Kronos said smugly.

Rhea raised an eyebrow. "Not if you want to continue sleeping in the same bed as me."

"To be fair, sister," Koios said in amusement, "that would be punishing you as much as punishing him."

"If not more," Krios muttered.

"Father, you have to promise me something if you are not going to the infirmary," Theron said confidently.

Kronos scowled at him, "And what would that be?"

"You have to promise to not fight," Theron said bluntly.

Kronos snorted, "When Tartarus freezes over."

Theron smirked, "Thought you might say that, and we can easily drag you back to the infirmary kicking and screaming, tie you to the bed with duct tape, and put a guard outside the room."

Kronos' eyes narrowed, "You would not dare."

Theron raised an eyebrow, "Would you like to test that theory, Father? All of us will be happy to drag you there by your teeth." He looked meaningfully at Zeus.

Zeus nodded, "We'll all help."

Kronos glared at him and Zeus was very tempted to back down. Zeus pushed down his nervousness and evenly returned his Father's glare. Slight surprise flitted in Kronos' eyes and he uttered a short curse. Theron grinned widely, "See that, Father? That is a Titan's look on Zeus."

Kronos sniffed, "Should have died _before _you cut Ouranos up, not after. Now look what happened," he gestured at his six godly children, "never in my entire life…" He studied the six elder gods.

Oceanus laughed, "Your own fault for that change, brother."

Kronos grumbled, "I know." He turned and met Theron's steady gaze, "I promise, son. No fighting until I am completely healed."

Theron smirked, "Thank you, Father… now you may sit."

Kronos scowled, "Stop it. I am still King, not you."

Theron shrugged, "I tried."

Kronos strode towards his throne and sat down; aware of all the gods and demigods watching him as he finally flashed a top on. Koios smiled slightly, "I think the gods are confused, brother. Shall we tell them what we were talking about?"

"I would rather not," Kronos grumbled.

"Too bad," Iapetus grinned and turned to the gods. "You see the changes that have happened to Theron's siblings? They have become more… Titanic-"

"That is the best you could come up with?" Hyperion snorted.

"More Titanic?" Annabeth asked, "You mean they-"

"Okay, how about questions at the end?" Iapetus asked, "Gods and Titans are more different than you believe. We have Instincts that are like a Sixth Sense and a demigod's ADHD when they are… activated our eyes go slightly red-"

"I saw that!" Hermes suddenly shouted, "When you were all fighting Ouranos your eyes were red."

Iapetus sighed, "No more interruptions, please."

"Sorry," Hermes muttered.

"Yes, we were using our Instincts whilst fighting him… and still we could not defeat him. Our powers are more destructive. Also, in case you had not noticed, our body builds are different." Iapetus frowned slightly as he thought about how to continue, "Take Kronos for example, since he decided he was going to come in here shirtless, he is a lot more muscled than some of the gods, but that does not mean he is stronger-"

"Yes it does," Kronos said immediately.

"No, it does not," Koios sighed, "stop messing about, brother. Your head is the size of Mother already; we do not need it getting any bigger."

"Size of Mother," Krios muttered in amusement.

Iapetus rolled his eyes, "Brothers, stop it. Now, you six," he inclined his head at Theron's siblings, "in helping to kill Ouranos you all willingly followed in your Father's footsteps. This means that you all accepted that he is your Father. He is a first generation Titan, and the children of first generation Titans are called second generation Titans, like Theron – as much as he tries to pretend that he is a first generation Titan, he is a second generation - , or Atlas, Lelantos, Leto, Metis, and so forth. Understanding what happened to you yet?"

Theron snorted, "I do not try to pretend I am a first generation Titan - that would involve having Gaea and Ouranos as parents."

Zeus was wide-eyed. "You're saying I'm a Titan?"

Iapetus immediately shook his head, "No, not a Titan. A mix of both – a mix of god and Titan."

Theron grinned, "You left the best part until last, uncle."

Iapetus chuckled, "I guessed that you would have wanted to say it, since Kronos definitely will not."

"Well," Theron said as he reclined back, "the accepting thing went both ways. You had to accept that Kronos _is _your Father too, and we had to accept that. One of the main beings that has to accept that… is Kronos himself," he looked meaningfully at Kronos.

Kronos was staring up at the ceiling and pointedly ignoring the conversation, or at least acting like he was. He looked down after several seconds and scowled at Theron, "Knock it off." Theron's grin quickly fell.

"Why did you do it?" Tethys asked.

Kronos sighed, "I knew I was going to die. It was not like I could have lost anything else, is it? I wanted to give Othrys and Olympus a bigger chance to win this war. It that so wrong?"

Theron shook his head, "It is surprising, but not unwelcomed. A year ago you would not have accepted them on any circumstance."

Kronos was silent for several seconds before he shrugged. "Only good will come of my decision, there is very little that could go wrong with what I did. Maybe in time," his lips twitched slightly, "I shall forgive them completely if this war goes well… or then again, maybe not. It depends on how this war goes."

Theron thought for a while before he shoved the conversation to the back of his mind. "We need to discuss something else. What Prometheus said, about Gaea attempting to gather the Primordials together, may spell the end for us if it is true."

Kronos nodded slightly, "The Primordials. I had hoped to not involve any more of them, but obviously that is not going to happen. There are twenty of them including Chaos, and all of them always argue over who has actual control over everything – personally, I vote for Chronos."

Theron snorted, "Tartarus would own Chronos."

Oceanus shook his head, "Pontus would."

Kronos shook his head, "Stop, we have had this argument so many times that I have lost count." He tapped the arm rest of his throne, "What the heck…" he murmured, "may as well. Oceanus, see if you can contact Uncle Pontus. Hyperion, Aether. Theron, I know he tried to kill you only hours ago, but your job is Tartarus. Titans, just contact the Primordial you are most familiar with."

Koios attempted to hide his grin. "Brother, does that mean you are contacting Nyx?"

Kronos groaned and slammed his head onto the back of his throne, "Do not even start on her."

Oceanus chuckled, "I think she has a soft spot for you, brother."

"More than a soft spot," Theron muttered, "she attempted to get me into bed with her just because I _look_ like Kronos. Mad Primordial."

Rhea sniffed, "If she comes anywhere near you, Kronos, I will find a way to kill her."

Kronos shook his head in amusement, "Good luck with that, my dear." He looked around at the grim Titans, gods and demigods. "Meeting dismissed."

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**Next chapter - Talk with the Pit**

**Okay just a heads up, it's unlikely I will be updating for two weeks as I have a lot of exams coming up. I will try to update, but can't make any promises.**


	49. Talk With The Pit

**amazinggalaxy2003: awesomeeeeee! yay they're finally mimi titans at last! / uh... I'm guessing you meant mini?**

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**My exams finished yesterday so here's your update.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO and/or HOO and never will**

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**Chapter 49 - Talk With The Pit**

Theron didn't know how to talk to Tartarus without insulting him. All of the Titans had quickly disappeared from the throne room once Kronos dismissed them, many of them going to places that were more in touch with a certain Primordial to contact them. Theron had stayed in the throne room with Rhea and Kronos.

Theron immediately turned to Kronos, "Are you mad?" He hissed, "Tartarus tried to drag me down there! That means he is helping Gaea, we need no other proof!"

"I will be here, Rhea will, and all the gods and demigods will be," Kronos said calmly, "if he attempts to drag you down again then you have the Blade, and if I have to then I will jump down there myself to get you out."

Theron hesitantly nodded and Kronos flung his arm around his son's shoulder. "That is the spirit. Come on," he led him over to the entrance to the vault as the gods came over.

Zeus looked at Kronos carefully for several moments. "Was what you said true? About forgiving us?"

Kronos shrugged, "Depends on if you want to be forgiven, and if you would forgive me for eating you. But first, I am going to have to get you to taste some nectar and mustard – it gave me a stomach ache for several weeks."

Zeus paled, "Uh, no thank you. I'm fine not having any."

Kronos chuckled, "I insist, _son_."

Theron grinned and snapped his fingers, summoning a goblet of nectar and mustard. "Come on, brother. All of the Titans have had some to know what it was like. Your turn."

Poseidon was the one that came forward. "May as well, it's not like it's going to be poisoned."

Theron laughed, "You will not be saying that after it."

Poseidon looked nauseous as he cautiously smelt the mixture in the goblet. He immediately recoiled, "How did you not notice this?" He asked Kronos.

The Titan King scowled, "I was – actually, I still am – the record holder for shortest time taken to have a Titan-sized goblet. Zeus started a competition and I did not check what was in the damned drink."

Theron shook his head slightly, "Bottoms up, bro."

Poseidon took a breath, and drank the goblet as fast as possible so he couldn't stop halfway. Kronos smirked and stepped to the side, "Your runway, son." Rhea hurriedly stepped to the side.

"That wasn't so bad," Poseidon muttered as he looked into the goblet, but an uneasy feeling started in his stomach.

Theron grinned, "Taking off in five, four, three, two, and one."

Poseidon puked. It was a puke worthy of the god of the sea that extended several feet in front of him, straight down the gap that Kronos had made for him. He retched as he attempted to dispel the horrible taste from his mouth. Theron wasn't even attempting to hide his laughter and, along with most of the gods, was almost falling over. Kronos turned his head to the side slightly to hide his crooked grin, and Rhea covered her mouth with her hand.

Poseidon choked slightly as he turned to Zeus, "Your turn next."

Zeus paled, "Uh, maybe later."

"I am going to hold you to that," Kronos warned and turned to Theron, "Your job, son."

Theron shifted nervously and steeled himself for what he was going to have to do. "Father, can you open the vault?"

Kronos raised an eyebrow. "You cannot do it?"

Theron shook his head. "I have not spoken the Old Tongue for millennia. I may have opened it earlier, but I do not think I said it correctly."

Kronos sighed and shook his head in disapproval. "Your birth tongue, yet you cannot speak it?"

Theron shrugged and said a quick phrase in the Old Tongue. "Gallaf siarad yr Hen Iaith, ond fi wedi anghofio y ynganu."

Kronos chuckled, "Mae'n swnio'n eithaf da i mi gan nad ydych wedi ei siarad am saith degawd. Fynd yn ei flaen."

Theron held a hand out to the vault and chanted, "Yr wyf fi, Theron, mab Kronos, Titan o Elfennau, Monsters, Hela, a Tynged, Tywysog Othrys, orchymyn i'r gladdgell i agor ac yn caniatáu mynediad at yr hyn sydd o fewn mi."

The vault opened and warm air shot out of the hole, followed by the screeches of monsters. Theron walked right up to the edge of the Pit.

"Theron," Kronos hissed, "not so close."

Theron could feel the power from his domain of Monsters flow through him as he stood there, the closest point to Tartarus without physically being in the Pit. The warm wind buffeted his hair back, giving him an even wilder appearance to his usual one. He looked down into the Pit as he saw a massive hellhound making its way up towards him, jumping from ledge to ledge. The hound jumped up to the other side of the Pit and black eyes that were as dark as the Pit beneath them studied Theron.

Artemis raised her bow and aimed an arrow between the eyes of the hound, but Theron raised his hand. "Stop," he ordered and Artemis immediately did so. Theron evenly returned the hound's gaze for almost a minute before averting his eyes to the ground in a sign of submission.

The hound grunted like it was pleased and its shape changed form, fur receding back into skin which became a dark purple colour as the hound changed into the form of a fifteen feet tall immortal being. _"Prince,"_ the immortal acknowledged.

Theron crossed his arms and glared at him. "Lord Tartarus, a pleasure, as always," he said coldly.

Tartarus ignored Theron's tone of voice and studied the other beings warily watching him. _"Kronos,"_ he said with thinly veiled anger.

"Lord Tartarus," Kronos said with a mocking, heavily over exaggerated bow, "So good to see you again."

"_Sarcasm does not suit you,"_ Tartarus said bluntly.

Kronos shrugged, "Do I look like I care?"

"_Your disrespect is not appreciated,"_ Tartarus growled.

"I apologise, Lord Tartarus," Kronos said with a lot of sarcasm in his voice.

Tartarus' eyes narrowed, _"I had hoped your recent defeat at my hands had brought you down to Gaea, but apparently not."_

"How is your crotch holding up, Lord Tartarus?" Kronos asked with a cold smile.

Tartarus glowered at him. _"Remember where the line is, step-son. You are about to cross it."_

"It was a valid question," Kronos said as if he had no clue why Tartarus was irritated with him.

Tartarus' eyes looked exactly like what he was the Primordial of – the Abyss. They were dark and unwavering as he glared at Kronos. The Titan King evenly returned the look. Theron cleared his throat, "Tartarus, are you helping Gaea?"

Tartarus' soul-black eyes didn't turn away from Kronos' as he replied. _"No. What I did to you when your brethren were fighting Ouranos was so that you knew how to use the Titans' Blade properly. I am staying out of this war. The result will not concern me."_

Theron blinked. "So you were trying to help me by killing me?"

"_You act like I have not done that before," _Tartarus commented in amusement. _"Surely you have learnt that I do not care what happens to you?"_

"I figured it out the first time you tried to _kill me_," Theron scowled.

Tartarus studied him for several moments before saying something in the language of monsters. Theron frowned slightly. "What do you mean? Of course I-"

"_No, you do not,"_ Tartarus rumbled, _"without the knowledge you cannot combat Lycaon. The King's powers are growing as his pack recruits, and it will be your job to put him down like the mutt he is."_

Theron shifted slightly, "I am beginning to think all immortals just want me dead," he complained, "why did I have to go around insulting all of them when I was younger?"

Tartarus was still staring down Kronos, or at least attempting to. Theron wanted to get this over with before his Father was killed. Tartarus seemed to realise Theron wanted him to leave. _"Be careful with your war, Theron. The stakes are higher than you realise."_

Theron scowled at him. "I know," he growled. "I know what will happen if we lose."

"_Then in that regard you are smarter than your Father."_ Tartarus murmured and Kronos narrowed his eyes.

"If you think-" Kronos started.

Rhea quickly clapped a hand over his mouth. "Thank you, Lord Tartarus, but I think you should go before Kronos says something he will later regret greatly."

Tartarus sniffed slightly, _"You need to teach him when to shut up." _He stepped forward, straight into the Pit and disappeared from sight.

Rhea sighed and turned to look at Kronos who still had her hand over his mouth. "You need to stop annoying the Primordials. It may come back to bite you in an unexpected place," she said as she removed her hand.

Kronos gave her a crooked grin. "I do not need to worry about them biting me. You do that for them."

Rhea's eyes narrowed, "Inappropriate," she hissed.

"But not unwanted," Kronos added and Rhea blushed gold slightly.

"Oh, shut up," she muttered.

Theron snorted, "Father, seriously though. Get Mother to teach you some manners. If I had waited any longer then Tartarus would have blasted you into Chaos, and he has the full right to."

Kronos rolled his eyes. "Please, if he had wanted to he could have done it two billions years ago."

"You know full well they only did not do it because they were all afraid of incurring Mother's wrath," Rhea said carefully, "you were and still are her favourite child."

"You sound jealous," Kronos said smugly.

The throne room Doors opened and Oceanus strode in, looking rather pleased with himself. "Uncle Pontus is going to help us. Along with Hydros and Thalassa."

Theron's eyes widened, "Are you serious?" He groaned.

"Sorry, nephew, it was not my fault you irritated them." Oceanus shrugged, "But you will be safe. I do not think they will actually be here."

Theron sighed in relief. "I blame Kronos for this."

Kronos laughed, "Guilty."

Rhea rolled her eyes and whacked him on the head. "Your fault for refusing to teach him any manners."

Kronos shrugged, "He turned out fine. Would you not agree?"

Rhea frowned slightly, "I could not really say no."

"Mother!" Theron exclaimed.

Rhea laughed, "Joking, son. You turned out fine, even if your Father dropped you on the head several times."

Kronos sighed, "It was once. Not several times."

"Still made a difference to him," Rhea murmured. "I am sure his recklessness came from a few damaged brain cells."

Theron crossed his arms in annoyance. "Do you have anything kind to say to me, or can I go now and leave you two to have the sex you both obviously want?"

"Theron," Rhea said warningly, "not in front of the demigods."

"Of course not," Theron said with a pleasant smile, "you have only ever done it in front of me several hundred times before. Do not want the demigods seeing too, do we?"

Kronos scowled, "It is your fault for entering the room unannounced all the time."

Theron raised an eyebrow. "And whose fault is it for not locking the door?"

Rhea cleared her throat and turned to Oceanus, "Has anyone else managed to contact any Primordials?"

"Apart from Theron and I? No."

Rhea nodded slightly, "Go," she said, "it is getting late and it has been a long day. I am sure Tethys would love for you to continue your activities from last night."

Oceanus grumbled under his breath as he ran a hand through his dark hair. "She is going to work me to death if she keeps this up."

"Consider it your punishment for disobeying me," Kronos said slightly smug.

Oceanus sighed, "Did you make an agreement with her or something?" His brother's grin confirmed his suspicions. "Oh, I hate you so much."

"I thought you would be thankful," Kronos smirked, "before she was planning on refusing to be near you for the duration of this war."

Oceanus shook his head in annoyance. The throne room doors opened again, and Hyperion strode in. "Porphyrion is climbing the mountain."

Kronos' eyes immediately steeled, "Kill him."

Hyperion swallowed, "He has a white flag."

Kronos clenched his jaw and started to move, but Theron quickly grabbed his shoulder. "Stop. We could use this to our advantage. Gaea thinks you are dead, correct? She also has no clue that the gods are here as she left before they arrived in the arena."

Kronos nodded slowly, "Go. Take Atlas, Lelantos, Hyperion, and Koios with you. Oceanus, get the Titans to man the ballistae in case they try anything."

Oceanus nodded and disappeared into water vapour. Kronos turned to Theron. He saw the nervousness in Theron's eyes and smiled slightly. "Be safe, and do not let yourself take any crap from them." He clapped Theron on the shoulder. "Show them why you are my heir."

Theron nodded confidently strode out of the throne room, the gods and demigods parting for him. His clothes shimmered into his armour and StormWraith appeared on his back with the Titans' Blade sheathed at his waist. As he walked down the straight corridor to the front doors, the air shimmered and Atlas, Lelantos, Hyperion and Koios appeared at his side. Each of them was in battle armour, though Lelantos' was styled to allow for a lot more mobility.

Hyperion cracked his knuckles, "Ready to show them how we deal with invaders?"

Theron frowned slightly, "White flag," he said pointedly, "we cannot attack unless they do first. Oceanus will have the ballistae primed and ready in case we need the backup... but apart from that we will be alone."

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**Next chapter - The King's Curse**

**What do you think the King's Curse is? Hint: It _is _in Greek Mythology.**


	50. The King's Curse

**amazinggalaxy2003: The King's Curse is I think they're all berserk somehow, and crazy, and power-hungry, and a bunch of other crap! Awesome chapter! / Berserk, probably. Crazy, highly likely. Power-hungry, absolutely. But, no, unfortunately that's not a curse in most areas. Thanks, I sometimes think you're my only reviewer now, since no else is reviewing (that's a hint, guys).**

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**Disclaimer: nothing has changed, I still don't own HOO/PJO**

**Chapter 50 milestone everyone! I didn't think this story would have so many chapters... i'll be trying to speed the plot slightly, maybe fit more words in a chapter.**

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**Chapter 50 – The King's Curse**

Theron's eyes narrowed at the smug giant in from of him. "Well?" Porphyrion prompted.

Theron clenched his jaw – the giant had him backed into a corner. Lycaon had proposed single combat. Theron could accept and risk losing, since they probably had a plan of some sort, or he could refuse and live, but Titans never turned down challenges.

"Terms?" Theron asked as he grabbed StormWraith.

"Theron!" Hyperion exclaimed, "You cannot seriously be considering-"

"I can, and I will," Theron said as he shot his uncle a glare, "besides, since when did you care about my safety?"

Hyperion shook his head, "This is foolishness, nephew. Refuse the challenge."

Theron shook his head – he had a plan of his own regarding what Tartarus had said to him in the language of monsters. _You know the advantages and disadvantages of different monsters, but do you control them?_

"What are the terms?" He asked the giant King.

Hyperion clenched his jaw and looked at Koios for help, but his brother shook his head slightly and seemed content to allow Theron to fight the Wolf King. Porphyrion's eyes danced with lightning as he looked down on the Titans. "Single combat, no interference," he looked pointedly at the Titans, "Lycaon wins and we get the Titans' Blade. Those are my terms."

Theron nodded slightly. "To the death, and when I win you have to swear on Chaos that the remainder of our army will be safe until they reach the other side of these doors," he gestured behind him to the doors of Othrys.

Lycaon gave Theron a fanged grin, "Ready to lose, Prince?"

Theron felt disappointment as he studied Lycaon. He had turned the once mortal King into the monster that he was because of his pride, and he intended to fix his mistake. Theron twirled his trident around his body as Porphyrion, Alcyoneus, and Polybotes backed away. The four Titans that had come with him stepped back into the opening of the Fortress.

Lycaon flicked his claws out and started circling as Theron settled into a relaxed battle stance, running his plan through. Lycaon growled and launched himself at Theron, his claws flashing as he slashed at his shoulder. Theron twisted to the side and smash away Lycaon's claws with the shaft of his trident, dancing out of the way of the Wolf King's fangs that snapped shut inches from his throat.

Lycaon backed up as Theron's eyes flashed and he leapt forward, bringing StormWraith down to crack on Lycaon's head. The werewolf's arms shot up and he blocked the weapon, the strength behind the blow knocking him to his knees. Theron forced down, using his advantage of being several feet higher to push Lycaon down to the ground.

Then Lycaon's hands twisted and his head shot up to snap his fangs shut around the shaft of Theron's weapon. The trident cracked down the middle, thin lines racing up and down the shaft as Lycaon bit down.

Theron felt a sharp pain in his back and hurriedly kicked out, sending the werewolf flying back several dozen feet to the edge of the mountain. He studied his weapon, trying to ignore the burning in his lower back.

Lycaon scrambled to his feet and snarled at Theron, throwing himself towards him. Theron ducked and swept his trident around to smash into Lycaon's side. The Titans were watching with bated breath, knowing that the two immortals were even in their fighting skills. Lycaon swiftly turned around in mid-air and immediately launched himself at Theron again, sliding under the trident to swing at him and managing to scrape Theron's side. Theron hissed as the claws dragged through his armour and skin.

Lycaon rose up behind Theron with a slightly smug grin. "You are losing your touch, Prince."

Theron growled under his breath and twisted, swinging StormWraith and leaving Lycaon no time to react as he was sent flying backwards. "So are you if I can do that."

Lycaon snarled, but then stopped and Theron watched in shock and slight fear as the earth rose up to heal his side. Lycaon laughed, "Mother Gaea blessed me," he explained, "you cannot kill me."

Theron clenched his jaw, "We shall see, my old friend."

Lycaon's eyes narrowed and he launched himself at Theron, who this time discarded his trident to the side and grabbed Lycaon's throat in the process of getting several cuts along his chest. Lycaon grabbed Theron's gauntleted hand and dug his claws into the metal. Theron focused on Lycaon or more specifically, his werewolf self. Lycaon's eyes glowed a blood red as he felt Theron's power start to affect him, and he forced Theron to let go. A snarl erupted from Lycaon's throat and he fell to his knees in front of the Titan of Monsters.

He looked up at Theron as he struggled to control himself. "What did you do?" He growled and clutched at his head in an attempt to stop his werewolf side from taking over.

Theron shrunk himself down and crouched in front of him. "Fix my mistake," he murmured.

The ground rumbled and Lycaon glanced down. Theron saw the look and frowned, "She wants you to kill me," he stated. "You can try if you want."

Theron's power drew away from Lycaon and in an instant the Wolf King had leapt to his feet. Theron backed up a few steps and spread his arms out. "One attack. Anywhere, anything," he knew the one thing that Lycaon wanted to do most.

Lycaon's eyes flickered to Theron's shoulder before meeting Theron's eyes. Theron inclined his head slightly, "Do it."

Koios' eyes widened and he started to move, but Hyperion grabbed his arm. "No," he said, "we cannot interfere."

"If Lycaon does it-"

"I know," Hyperion said grimly.

Koios shook his head. "Theron, stop this madness! Do not let him."

Theron shot him a glare, "Quiet," he snapped, "this is my choice." He suddenly felt a sharp pain and gasped, turning his head to the side to see Lycaon's fangs buried into his shoulder. He fell to his knees as the pain rapidly multiplied and his vision blurred.

Lycaon kept his fangs in Theron's shoulder for almost a minute, and the whole time Theron was regretting letting him do it. Lycaon eventually drew back and watched as Theron fell forward face-first onto the ground and lay there limply.

"Excellent work, mutt," Porphyrion said gleefully. "Now kill him and be done with it."

Theron could feel the shadow of Lycaon as the Wolf King stood over him. "I can help you," Theron murmured, knowing that Lycaon could hear him, "change the curse. I can give you control over yourself so that the moon no longer effects you."

Lycaon stood completely still, his head cocked to the side slightly as he listened to Theron. Porphyrion's eyes narrowed, "Kill him, mutt," he ordered.

"Do what you want, Lycaon," Theron muttered. "It is your choice."

Lycaon's hands fisted and ichor dropped from his palm. His eyes flashed red as he looked up at the giant King. "No," he growled and changed his stance so that it was protective as he stood over Theron.

"Fine," Porphyrion snarled, "I will do it myself." He started forward, summoning his spear.

"I would not do that if I were you," Koios called fiercely, "we have the remaining Titans waiting for the order to fire. Take another step forward and they will do so. Remember our terms? No interference."

Porphyrion stopped at looked up at the Fortress, his eyes landing on a grinning Krios as he tapped the released lever on one of the ballistae. The giant's eyes narrowed as they returned to Lycaon. "You will regret this, mutt. Mother Gaea will have her revenge on you for your betrayal."

"Porphyrion, I think it is time that you leave. You have overextended your stay and are no longer welcome," Hyperion said calmly. "Now, leave before we blow you to oblivion."

Porphyrion's spear shimmered before disappearing as he backed down the mountain with his two brothers following him. Lelantos and Atlas quickly made their way to Theron's side, completely ignoring the Wolf King standing over him. Koios strode up to Lycaon, shrinking as he did so, and pulled the werewolf over to the side as Hyperion disappeared into the Black Fortress.

Atlas carefully turned Theron over and scanned his injuries, looking at the bite on his shoulder last. "You are the most reckless immortal I have ever had the pleasure of meeting, cousin."

Theron groaned, "I feel like minotaur dung." He lifted his head slightly, only to be reward with a sharp pain in his shoulder. His head fell back down with a heavy thud. "Ouch."

"Is it… infected?" Lelantos asked carefully.

Theron grunted, "Cannot tell at the moment. Feel like Atlas is hitting it with a hammer."

Atlas chuckled, "I assure you, cousin. I am not even touching you."

"Help me up," Theron murmured.

Lelantos hesitated for a moment. "I am not sure that is a very good idea – Atlas, what are you doing?"

"Helping him up," Atlas smirked, "he wanted me to. May as well do it."

Lelantos frowned slightly before shrugging and helping Atlas get their cousin to his feet. Lelantos put Theron's left arm around his shoulder, and Atlas supported his waist, careful to not touch his right shoulder. Theron let out a sharp hiss as the pain seemed to double and his vision went black for a split second.

"Where has Hyperion gone?" Lelantos called to Koios.

"To tell Apollo," Koios replied as he looked up.

Theron's eyes widened, "What?" He demanded, "If he tells Apollo then everyone else will hear. Father will be furious," he groaned.

Koios shrugged, "Your fault for risking your life like that."

Theron shook his head, "I was not risking my life." His eyes landed on Lycaon who was looking down at the ground. The Wolf King looked up, sensing Theron's golden eyes on him. "I knew that Lycaon would do that."

Lycaon frowned slightly, "Can you really do it?" He asked hopefully.

Theron chuckled, "I gave you that curse, and so I can alter it. Come here," he held his arm out towards Lycaon.

The werewolf immediately went over to him. Theron placed his hand on Lycaon's forehead and focused. He had had a reason for allowing the Wolf King to bite him. As Tartarus had said, he didn't know the disadvantages and advantages of different monsters completely. Getting bitten had given him an insight, one that came with a lot of possible problems.

Theron swiftly changed the King's curse so that he could control his transformations more and the moon wouldn't affect him, but would instead give him more energy. When he took his hand away, he watched as Lycaon relaxed and took a deep breath.

When his eyes opened, they were no longer a dark red, but a molten gold colour. Theron frowned slightly and decided to not tell him why until later. "Done," he said weakly.

Koios cleared his throat. "You should be going, Lycaon. Do not want Kronos to see you around here after what you have just done."

Lycaon nodded and started down the mountain path. Theron shot Koios a glare, "Lycaon, you are welcome to stay in Othrys. I think I may need a little of your help in the close future."

Lycaon swallowed nervously, "But Kronos, he hates me. What if I run into him?"

Theron chuckled, "The only way I could change the curse was to make you my champion," he said grinning widely, "if Kronos attacks my champion he would be very stupid."

Lycaon's eyes widened. "Your champion?"

"Yes," Theron smiled, "I am definitely not letting you just roam around. Not while this war is still on and Gaea will now be out for your ichor."

Lycaon nodded and looked relieved. "Thank you, Lord Theron."

Koios frowned slightly, "Theron, we have to get you inside. You need to get Apollo to check you over."

Theron grumbled under his breath as Atlas and Lelantos forced him to walk forward. Atlas eventually sighed at the slow process and settled for picking Theron up over his shoulder. Theron punched Atlas' back, "Damn it, cousin. Let go."

Atlas chuckled, "No. Sorry, cousin, but unless you can prove to me that it will not take longer than thirty minutes to walk to the throne room, then you are staying there."

Theron grumbled out some unflattering remarks about his cousins as he resigned himself to being carried. Lycaon murmured something under his breath that made Theron glare at him. "Oh, shut up, child."

Lycaon's eyes narrowed slightly at being called a child. "Child? I am not a child. I was a King of Ancient Greece."

Theron shrugged, "And I am the eldest child of Kronos. I think I am older."

"He takes after you," Atlas murmured, "so prideful."

Theron quickly shushed him by kneeing his crotch. Atlas yelped and almost dropped him, "Careful, cousin. If I cannot go out celebrating once this war is over then I will get my revenge on you."

"I do not care," Theron hissed quietly, "if he finds out… No, I will tell him when the time is right."

Atlas nodded slightly, "Do not make the mistake of taking too long to tell him."

"I know," Theron murmured.

Lelantos glanced back to where Lycaon was walking beside Koios and looking around in obvious awe. "I do not think you should keep it from him at all. Bad things always come from keeping secrets," he gave Theron a look. "Like the secret about you being with Styx."

Theron waved his hand dismissively, "I will tell them when the time is right."

"If you want unity I would tell them sooner," Lycaon muttered under his breath. "Styx is aligned with Olympus."

Theron frowned slightly and reluctantly nodded. "So, Atlas, can you let me down now? I would rather that the gods and demigods do not see you carrying me."

Atlas sighed and let Theron walk as Lelantos quickly supported him. The throne room doors opened and revealed Kronos and Zeus in the middle of an argument. Hyperion was looking very irritated as he leaned against the wall and watched.

"We have Othrys," Kronos argued.

"And we have Olympus," Zeus retorted, "Olympus is much better than Othrys."

"Of course," Kronos said sarcastically, "but we invented something that you cannot beat."

"Oh really?" Zeus asked, "Then what is it?"

"Sex," Kronos said smugly as the Titans watching laughed.

Zeus faltered as he tried to think of a comeback, floundering for several seconds, and then, "That may be so, but we introduced it to women."

Theron laughed, "Really, brother? Then how do you think you were born?"

Kronos' head shot up as Zeus turned around. When they saw Theron Kronos let out a loud curse, "What happened?" He demanded.

"If you had let Hyperion speak then you would know," Theron grumbled.

Kronos looked slightly sheepish as he ran a hand through his hair. "I was a little distracted," he admitted as his golden eyes scanned Theron, noting his injuries. "How did the talk go?" He asked in barely supressed amusement.

Theron's shoulder throbbed and he hissed in pain, "Fine," he said through gritted teeth, "absolutely fine."

"Theron was an idiot," Koios announced, "again. Porphyrion proposed single combat."

Kronos sighed, "Against who?"

"That would be me, Lord Kronos," Lycaon said carefully as he bowed.

Artemis' eyes narrowed and she summoned her bow as the Titans leapt to their feet. "Stop," Theron said sharply, "I have made him my champion. You cannot touch him."

Kronos narrowed his eyes. "Why him? Anyone else would have been fine, but Lycaon has tried to kill you countless times before. So why Lycaon?"

"You know why," Theron said coldly, "no matter what he has done, I will still accept him as my own."

Kronos shook his head slightly, his eyes flicking to Theron's shoulder. "He bit you," the Titan King stated. "Are you…?"

Theron swallowed slightly and nodded. "The reason I let him bite me. I needed to know so I could change the curse I gave him."

"Change it?" Kronos asked, "How?"

Theron glanced meaningfully at Artemis who happily knocked an arrow and fired it at Lycaon. The Wolf King's hand snapped up and caught the arrow instinctively, and his eyes widened. "Silver," he murmured and studied his hand which wasn't burning. He looked at Theron gratefully.

Theron looked his Father in the eyes. "Silver can no longer harm him, the moon no longer affects him, and he has control over the Wolf. The disadvantages of being a Werewolf are gone for him."

Kronos chuckled, "I should have known you would do this soon. You were always watching him, before and after his curse."

Theron gave him a wry smile, "Just like you were keeping an eye on my siblings and knowing what they were doing."

The Titans looked at their King incredulously. "Kronos," Rhea said carefully, "is that true?"

Kronos sighed and shot Theron an annoyed look. "Now look what you have done. They will think I am soft."

"You are soft," Rhea murmured. "So stop pretending you are not."

"_Sometimes_ I am soft," Kronos argued, "but not always."

"Wait a minute," Zeus said carefully, "you mean Father's been stalking us?"

Kronos scowled, "I have _not_ been stalking you… merely watching you to know what the best time for us to attack would have been."

"Watching them is stalking, brother," Koios laughed.

Kronos sighed and shrugged, "No harm done." He turned to look at Theron, "And as for you… I told you to be careful! Starting fights does not mean you are being careful! Why is it always you?"

Theron shrugged, "Inherited. It used to always be you."

Kronos frowned slightly, "True." He dry swallowed as he studied Theron's shoulder. "Are you turning?"

Theron nodded, "Yes. Titan of Monsters, I thought it would help."

Kronos' shoulders slumped fractionally, "Great. I am going to have a Werewolf for a son."

Theron raised an eyebrow, his eyes flickering over to Lycaon, and Kronos nodded slightly. "Well, son," Kronos said brightly, "until that heals you are not going to be fighting."

Theron's eyes widened, "What?" He demanded, "You cannot do that."

"I think you will find I can," Kronos said sharply. "No fighting. No flying. No leaving Othrys unless I know about it."

Theron clenched his jaw and stiffly bowed his head, "As you wish, Father." He turned around to Styx, "Please, can you come up to my room tonight? I need to speak with you." He shook Atlas and Lelantos' arms off him and strode out of the throne room without a glance back.

The there was silence for several seconds, until Iapetus turned to Kronos. "You are too harsh on him, brother. He did what he thought was right."

Kronos glared at Iapetus. "He needs to learn. He is two billion years old, and yet cannot seem to understand that getting injured as often as he does is not right."

"He has had a protected life," Koios rumbled, "you were the overprotective Father. After we killed Ouranos he grew up slightly and then again in and after the First Olympian War."

Kronos inclined his head. "This war, he will learn to think for himself even more. He will become independent of me, no longer looking to me for help."

Rhea laced her fingers with his, a troubled expression on his face. "Let us help he does not need those skills for a long time."

"Worried, my dear?" Kronos asked with a slight smile on his face.

"Of course," Rhea muttered, "I am always worried about you."

Kronos pulled her into his chest, wrapping his arms around her. "Do not worry; I will be around for a long time still. I have no intent to leave you anytime soon." He leant down and murmured something into her ear, and her eyes widened.

"Really?" She asked, turning her head to look up at him. "You would do that?"

Kronos buried his head in her hair. "I have many millennia to make up for, and I doubt Theron would like it if I still acted like they do not exist." His mouth trailed down her neck, planting kisses wherever he could find bare skin.

Rhea shivered slightly as she felt his hot breath on her skin, and twisted her head to press her lips to his. Oceanus cleared his throat, "Get a room."

Kronos chuckled, "An excellent idea, brother. Good night." He strode out of the throne room, his hands intertwined with Rhea's.

"Do not forget to lock the door!" Krios shouted after them.

Kronos promptly flipped him the bird and spat an insult at him in the Old Tongue, causing Rhea to hit him around the back of the head. "Watch your language."

"Well," Iapetus said once the door had shut, "Clymene, would you care to join me?"

"That depends," Clymene said slyly as she stepped to his side, "what do you have planned?"

"One thing for the whole night," Iapetus said grinning widely.

Clymene smiled and allowed herself to be dragged into a shadow. Phoebe laughed, "You would think they would be old enough to be able to control themselves."

Oceanus rolled his eyes, "Please. We are immortal. We don't grow or age after a certain point, so we never learn to control ourselves."

Lelantos' eyes rested on Artemis, "I still need to learn control, and it should not take long with the right immortal."

Artemis' eyes narrowed, "In your dreams, uncle."

Lelantos cleared his throat, "Morpheus, could you do me a favour?"

"Brother!" Leto exclaimed, "Respect her wishes."

"Oh, I will, but I cannot say the same for the rest of us," Lelantos said as he spread his arms out.

Artemis gulped as she looked surreptitiously at the male Titans, "Oh, holy Olympus."

Themis cleared her throat, "All of you, bed. Now."

"Going a bit overboard," Lelantos said sarcastically.

Themis shot him a glare. "What was that?"

"Nothing," Lelantos yelped and quickly retreated from the throne room.

Themis raised an eyebrow at the snickering Titans. "Why are you all still here?" They quickly all travelled out of the room to get away from her. Themis looked kindly at Artemis, "If they give you any trouble, go to Theron. He will stop them with little difficulty as he knows what it is like to have someone forced upon him. This is not common knowledge with us, so do not go spreading rumours, understand?"

Artemis frowned slightly, but nodded. "Yes, Lady Themis."

Themis disappeared as she travelled away, and the gods and demigods were left to make their way to their rooms on their own. Theron's siblings looked at each other before following Styx up to his room, the seven and Nico, Thalia, Bianca, and Luke trailing after them.

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**Next chapter: ****Crystalline Cavern**


	51. Crystalline Cavern

**amazinggalaxy2003: Porphyrion totally got smashed... Seriously, Lelantos? / Yup, Porphyrion got owned, and I figured that Lelantos would sort of be like Apollo with the attitude regarding women, since he is Artemis and Apollo's uncle, and the Titans have been in Tartarus for the last few millennia... they're going to want to have a little fun.**

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**Disclaimer: i don't own HOO and/or PJO**

**WARNING: THERE IS SWEARING IN THIS CHAPTER**

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**Chapter 51 - Crystalline Cavern**

"Maverick, get down!" Theron exclaimed. He had entered his room to find his eleven _spartoi_ and hellhound chasing each other around the room, and now the annoying mutt was on his bed. "Maverick, please!"

Maverick whined and rested his head on his paws; his black eyes seemed to say: _This is what you get for leaving me._ Theron sighed, "Okay, I am sorry for leaving you in the Underworld with Hades, Cerberus, and Mrs. O'Leary. Though from what I have heard you attempted to get friendly with her."

Maverick barked. Theron clenched his jaw, "Seriously, boy. Get off my Tartarus damned bed!" Maverick whined and raised his head, cocking it to the side slightly. "I will turn you into a pup," Theron said warningly.

Maverick stayed where he was, so Theron focused on him and changed his form into a hellhound puppy the size of a German shepherd. Maverick yelped and shot to his paws and Theron dived onto his bed. "Do not say I did not warn you, Maverick."

Maverick growled at him, but Theron ignored the hound as he lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling high above. Compared to his room in Tartarus his actual room showed his status as the Prince, and that he had been spoilt as a Titanling. The room was massive, even by Titan standards. The walls – like the rest of the palace or fortress – were black marble, and the various suits of armour and weapons that Theron had collected over his very long life were hanging on mannequins scattered around the room.

Theron's eyes roamed around the room, noting the dent in the wall where he had punched it in one of his tantrums. He saw the burn mark on the floor where he had burst into flames once when Atlas had entered his room without permission. His own scythe, almost exactly like his Father's, hung above his bed on the wall. Theron frowned slightly and walked towards the wardrobe against one of the walls. He opened the doors and crouched down to rummage around the bottom until his hand hit a leather-bound hilt. He smiled slightly and pulled out a dagger. It was a simple weapon made of iron – the first metal on Gaea. It was covered in a layer of dust which Theron quickly wiped off. The dagger hadn't been used in many millennia and a blanket of rust covered the blade, Theron quickly used his top to rub it off. He held the dagger reverently, he was a lot more attached to it then he was to his symbol of power, StormWraith. The dagger had been his first ever weapon and a gift from his Father, even though Rhea had said that he wasn't to learn to fight until he was older. It was only days after Ouranos had been killed that Theron had received it without Rhea's knowledge.

Theron had almost forgotten where he had been keeping it, which wasn't sitting well with him. He hadn't slept in his room, for fear of entering it when the last time he had been in there a boulder had smashed down one of the walls and almost crushed him as he had slept, and had instead slept with Styx in one of the rooms a floor down. Theron stood up, the dagger firmly held in his grip. He studied it for several more moments, his mind thinking over the past, before slipping the weapon into a sheath which appeared along his forearm. He peeled back his top over his right shoulder, and winced slightly when he saw the bite wound from Lycaon. He had been an idiot, he completely agreed with Koios, even though he had needed to change the Wolf King's curse. His veins were slightly black as the infection spread through his body. Theron knew there was a way to control the werewolf side; he had to have his intentions parallel to it.

Theron strode over to a raised section of black marble which served as a deck that he had used when he was _a lot _younger. His hands faltered as he started to move aside the ancient pieces of paper, and saw his own hand writing. He smiled slightly and read it, his mouth speaking the Old Tongue as if he had never stopped.

"_Koios yn dweud rhaid i mi wneud hyn er mwyn gwella Hen Tongue , ond yr wyf yn dal i feddwl ei fod yn hollol dwp. Pryd y byddaf byth angen hyn ? Mae gen i gof perffaith , mae popeth yr wyf am , yr wyf yn ei gael . Kronos wedi i mi wylio ei ymladd gyda fy ewythr , yr wyf yn meddwl ei fod am i mi allu i guro nhw rywbryd , ond Mam yn dweud fy mod yn rhy ifanc i hyd yn oed godi arf, llawer llai yn defnyddio un eto. Dydy hi ddim yn gwybod hyn , ond rhoddodd Tad dagr , fy arf cyntaf , mae wedi bod yn cymryd fi i'r __crisialog Ceudyllau_ _i hyfforddi lle na all neb glywed i ni mi."_

"Theron?" Styx's voice asked from behind him, "Are you alright?"

Theron realised his hands were shaking slightly and sat down heavily into the chair he had been sitting on around two billion years ago as he attempted to write in the Old Tongue, hunched over the deck with his tongue sticking from his mouth and his eyebrows furrowed and Koios hovering behind him. He felt Styx's arms wrap around him and a comforting warmth bloomed from his chest.

Theron took a breath. "I am fine… it has just been a long time since I was here last." He looked up at his siblings, Artemis, Aphrodite, and the seven, Nico, Bianca, Luke, and Thalia who were awkwardly standing just outside the room. "Come in. No point in just standing there."

They did as he said, and their eyes widened as they look around the room. "Holy Blest," Hades exclaimed, "this is your room?"

"Yes," Theron said, "it has been a long time since I was here last, but last time I checked it was mine, and I would not trade my room for anything."

"It's so big," Percy commented, "and it looks like you've collected and stored things in here."

"He has a good point," Styx nodded, "do you have Hyperion's sword in here somewhere?"

Theron rolled his eyes, "That was not my fault and you know it."

"I know," Styx said, "I take full responsibility for my actions."

"Finally!" Theron exclaimed.

"What does it say?" Hestia asked from over his shoulder.

Theron reached towards the piece of paper, but Styx put her hand over his. "Hestia asked you a question," she said gently.

Theron sighed, his eyes flickering to the paper. He cleared his throat, _"__Koios says I have to do this to improve the Old Tongue, but I still think it's completely stupid. When will I ever need this? I have a perfect memory, everything I want, I get. Kronos has me watching his fights with my uncles, I think he wants me to be able to beat them sometime, but Mother says I am too young to even pick up a weapon, much less use one yet. She doesn't know this, but Father gave me a dagger, my first weapon, he has been taking me to the Crystal Caverns to train where no one can hear us."_

There was complete silence for several second. Annabeth frowned slightly, "The Crystalline Caverns?"

"What are the Crystalline Caverns, Titan?" Styx asked.

Theron grinned. "I will show you them," he offered as he stood up. "That is, if you want me to? Only Kronos and I know about them."

Zeus' eyes widened, "Really?"

Theron shrugged. "He showed me the day after I was born. I think it is high time you all saw it." He ignored their questions and strode out of his room, Maverick jumping off his bed and racing out the door after him whilst being chased by eleven calico kittens.

"Maverick, stop!" Theron shouted as the hound disappeared around the corner.

"Hey, Theron?" Luke called; he was inside Theron's room still and staring at something above the headboard of Theron's bed.

"Yes?" Theron asked as he stuck his head back inside the room.

"Is that a scythe?" Luke asked carefully as he pointed to a weapon made of gleaming iron. "It looks exactly like Kronos'."

Theron looked at the scythe on his wall. "Yes, that is my scythe. Kronos made a replica of his, including the sever-your-soul-from-your-body effect, after I started attempting to steal it."

Poseidon laughed, "You tried to steal his scythe?"

"I managed it a few times," Theron nodded, a smile flickering across his lips, "and put it in Oceanus' domain once. Kronos ignored our uncle for decades."

Styx rolled her eyes, "Come on, I want to see the Caverns," she called from outside the room.

Theron immediately nodded, "Come on, everyone. Let me show the one place that I spent most of my years in." He took Styx's hand and led her to the spiral staircase that would bring them down from the tower.

"Theron, when you say most of your years, how long is that?" Hera asked.

"Kronos first brought me there in my second day," Theron said, his eyes slightly hazy as he remembered, "it was only him that had found it and he went there when he needed time away from our aunts and uncles' teasing and jokes at his expense. It quickly became the place that the two of us could get some peace and quiet."

Hestia shifted slightly, "Are you sure he won't mind, since the place is so special to the two of you?"

"You did not hear what he said earlier to Rhea, did you?" Theron asked in amusement.

Demeter raised an eyebrow, "And how did you hear? You were supposed to be in your room by then."

Theron sheepishly ran a hand through his hair. Hades chuckled, "You were listening outside the door, weren't you?"

"Uh, yes," Theron said warily. "Anyway, he said 'Do not worry; I will be around for a long time still. I have no intent to leave you anytime soon.' And then so you could not hear, he said 'and perhaps the time has come for me to attempt to be a father again, but this time not to Theron.'" Theron turned around to face the gods as he walked backwards down the steps, his face completely serious, "So that means that he would not mind trying with all of you. He will wait until all of you act like he _is _your Father, but then… well, if he likes you, you may get a scythe too. Of course, it is not going to be as good as mine because I am obviously his favourite child."

Poseidon rolled his eyes, "Really?" He asked sarcastically, "I never would have guessed."

Theron raised an eyebrow, "Was that sarcasm I detect, brother?" A smile crept onto his face, "Hyperion and Krios cannot seem to detect sarcasm very well… of course, that does not mean you can irritate them…"

Zeus grinned, "Any other hints for annoying the Titans?"

Theron hummed as he thought. "Atlas seems to hate being reminded that he was tricked by you, Artemis, and Perseus into holding the Sky again. Lelantos hates being reminded that my archery is better than his. Kronos is rather easy to irritate as you should have found by now – any threat to his family pretty much drives him over the edge. Generally just reminding us that you beat us, threw us into Tartarus, and took over the rule of the world is an excellent way to start getting them furious at you."

"I don't think we want them to get furious with us, we just want to annoy them," Zeus said.

Theron grinned widely, "I know how to annoy all of them. Take any of their weapons and they resemble three year old mortals wanting their toys back."

"So if we take Kronos' scythe…"

Theron snorted, "Yes, good luck with that. Since the last time I took it I cannot get anywhere near it."

"What about Hermes?" Poseidon asked, "He would be able to get it, right?"

Theron frowned slightly, "Possibly, if we get Kronos to lower his guard slightly." He thought to himself as they emerged out onto the main corridor of Othrys. He walked straight towards Kronos' tower, which the gods were aware of them not being allowed to enter.

"Theron," Zeus said carefully, "I don't think Kronos will be too happy if we enter his tower."

"Nonsense," Theron snorted, "I am with you. He would not try anything with me here, and I am not even going to mention what Rhea would do if she found out that he had done anything to the six of you."

"What would she do?" Hestia asked, curious about her Mother who she had always thought to be gentle.

Theron thought for several moments, "The worst thing she did to him was after she found out about Chiron."

Artemis perked up, "She castrated him?"

Theron laughed, "Oh, yes. He was refusing to go anywhere near her for several months even after it grew back." He pushed open the door to Kronos' tower and stopped for several moments to listen, a wide grin stretched across his face. "Listen, what do you hear?"

All of the beings went completely silent, and Artemis could hear noises coming from the floors above them she pulled a face, "Are they doing what I think they are?"

"Yes," Theron grinned, "I may get another sibling yet."

"That's offensive," Poseidon muttered.

Theron rolled his eyes, "I mean a new-born sibling, seaweed breath."

"Seaweed breath?" Poseidon asked with slightly narrowed eyes.

"Got a problem with that?" Theron challenged.

"My name isn't seaweed breath," Poseidon argued, "its Poseidon."

Theron shrugged and strode towards the area under the stairs. He reached out to touch it, and felt the temperature drop. He acted quickly and twisted, grabbing the hand reaching towards him and pulling the being towards him before sweeping his leg around and judo throwing him to the ground. Theron grinned as he saw his Father's golden eyes and Kronos jumped his legs before twisting his arm and forcing him to turn so he could slam Theron into the wall. Theron cursed under his breath as his right arm was moved up to the nape of his neck.

"Ouch, ow, ow, Father, that hurts," he whined.

"And whose fault is that?" Kronos asked in amusement.

"Yours," Theron grunted. "I did nothing wrong, but you are a masochistic idiot."

"Am I supposed to be insulted by that?" Kronos asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"Kronos, leave our son alone," Rhea's voice came from the staircase and the gods saw that she was leaning against the middle of the spiral.

Kronos chuckled and let go of Theron who exhaled in relief. "So," Kronos said as he studied the gods and their kids before turning to Theron, "you were going to show them the Caverns," he said bluntly.

"I can, right?" Theron asked, "And Mother has not seen it yet, has she?"

"Seen what?" Rhea asked.

Kronos seemed to think for several moments before smiling slightly and turning back to Theron. "You do remember how to open the passage, correct?"

Theron raised an eyebrow, "Do you take me for an idiot?"

"Am I supposed to say no?" Kronos asked with a slightly smug smile.

Theron punched him in the chest, making him curse. "I would not act like that if I were you; it should not be that hard to injure you even more at the moment."

Kronos snorted, "Seriously, though. You do remember how, right?"

Theron sighed and turned around, muttering a few words in the Old Tongue as he placed his hand on the entrance. A floor rumbled and the wall slid back and to the side, revealing a small passage. Theron looked expectantly at the gods, "After you."

The gods all slipped into the gap with the demigods amongst them and attempting to not draw the Titan King's attention, Theron leaned against the wall as he watched his parents talk (and eavesdropped on them). Kronos took Rhea's hand and they strode over to Theron once the gods and demigods had gone.

Theron smiled slightly, "Were you two having fun?"

Kronos grumbled under his breath, "You know full well what you interrupted."

Theron shrugged and pushed off the wall, "Maybe," he said as he walked into the passage, "and maybe not."

Kronos' eyes narrowed, "What do you mean, maybe?" He asked as he followed Theron, "You would have been able to hear us!"

"I am sorry," Theron said, "what was that? I cannot hear you."

Kronos scowled, _"cachu ffycin wan bitw iawn."_

Rhea sucked in a breath and immediately slapped him, "Kronos! That is rude!"

"Sort of the point," Kronos muttered.

Rhea slapped him again, "No answering back."

"Yes, Mother."

Again she hit him. "When you stop being rude I will stop hitting you."

"The only one that can understand me is Theron," Kronos muttered, "not the gods. So no harm done."

"I can understand," Styx called, "and I never knew you had such a dirty mouth, Lord Kronos."

"Oh, his mouth is very dirty," Theron promised.

"What did he say?" Leo asked Styx.

Styx frowned slightly, "Umm… I am not sure I should say."

"Oh, come on." Leo whined, "We're all fifteen or older. Isn't that old enough?"

Styx sighed. "Okay, but just don't complain you aren't old enough. Puny weak fucking shit. That is what Kronos said."

Zeus blinked, _"Cachu ffycin wan bitw iawn?" _

Rhea sighed, "See, Kronos, look what you have done now. They know a swearing phrase in the Old Tongue!"

"I honestly do not see how this is bad," Kronos said carefully. "Now they know how to swear at any of us. Is that bad?"

"It is bad that the demigods know, they are not that old-"

"I'm sixteen!" Percy exclaimed, "Almost seventeen!"

"That is young," Theron laughed, "you are not really helping your case, nephew."

"You too, son," Rhea said, "you knew what you were saying was going to get him to be rude."

"_Him _is right beside you," Kronos grumbled.

"And _she _does not care," Rhea retorted.

"Lover's Quarrel," Aphrodite sighed wistfully.

Kronos' head snapped up to glare at Aphrodite, "Did she just say what I thought she did?"

Theron laughed, "You have done it now, Aphrodite, run for your life!"

"Are you serious?" Aphrodite asked, "I never run for anything."

Theron rolled his eyes, and up ahead, Hestia sucked in a sharp breath. "Holy Othrys."

"Did she just say 'Holy Othrys'?" Kronos asked, "I have heard 'Holy Tartarus', 'Holy Hades' and 'Holy Chaos', but never 'Holy Othrys'."

"Part of me wants to know why you only listed places of the damned," Jason noted, "but another part thinks the answer will be too disturbing for me."

"Olympus is considered Heaven," Kronos hummed, "Othrys is its opposite in nearly everything. So it could be defined as Hell."

Theron chuckled, "Also a lot of things used to happen here that you do not want to know about."

"Oh my gods," Annabeth murmured as she emerged out into the Cavern. "It's beautiful."

Jaws dropped as the gods and demigods gazed upon the Crystalline Cavern. The walls were covered with a thin layer of crystal which shimmered from the light shining down from the small gap in the walls high above. The crystal covered marble floor was scattered with flowers made of different types of gems. Crystal seemed to dominate, but gold and onyx flowers weren't far behind. The gods and demigods were standing on a raised section of the ground and there was a pit that wasn't very deep below them. In the centre of the pit was a tree made completely out of crystals that stretched up towards the light, twisting around as it did so.

Rhea's eyes were wide and Kronos was looking at her for a reaction as Theron pulled Styx towards the tree in the middle. As his legs brushed past a flower it slowly turned into onyx. When Styx touched one it turned a dark blue sapphire.

The gods slowly turned around, looking at every inch of the cavern with wide eyes. Kronos looked over at them, "Only one rule in here, and that is no touching that flower," he gestured to a onyx one amongst a sea of gold that was slightly higher than them on an outcropping of rock that seemed like the perfect place to sit.

"Why's that flower so different from the others?" Hazel asked curiously, "Why can't we touch it?"

Kronos seemed to be lost in thought for several moments, thinking over a memory that no one except from Theron knew about. "That is the first flower in here that Theron touched, and he only managed to touch it because he decided he would move on his own."

Hestia was the first to understand the implication of what Kronos had said, "Theron first walked in here?"

Kronos nodded, "He first learned to fight in here too."

Rhea raised an eyebrow and turned to face him, "Did he? I was not aware of that."

Kronos winced, "Okay," he said carefully, "do not jump to conclusions."

Rhea crossed her arms, "I knew there was something fishy about the two of you disappearing off nearly all the time."

"I think that was Oceanus." Kronos muttered, before meeting Rhea's sharp emerald green eyes, "We cannot change the past though, no matter how much I wish we could. I have made many, _many _mistakes in my lifetime." He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her head. "_Fi cariad chi, am byth, _and that is one thing that I never want to change."

Aphrodite sighed, "So romantic."

Kronos scowled at her, "Thank you, Aphrodite, for ruining the moment."

"Sorry, Kronos," Aphrodite murmured.

Rhea laughed and twisted to lock her lips with Kronos'. "I do not think the moment is ruined."

Kronos smiled against her lips, "In that case, neither do I."

Several of the gods snorted, finding Kronos a lot less intimidating than they used to after only a day in the Black Fortress. Zeus sidled over to Aphrodite, "You can understand the Old Tongue?"

Aphrodite raised an eyebrow, "Hello, I was born from Ouranos' testicles mixing with sea foam. I was born speaking the Old Tongue."

Zeus nodded slightly, "What did Kronos say?"

Aphrodite laughed, "He said 'I love you, forever'."

Hades suddenly cleared his throat as he saw Rhea reach towards his Father's pants. "Please, not in here. I think I finally understand why Theron doesn't like you two doing it in front of him it's kind of something that I don't want to see – ever."

Rhea stepped away from Kronos, leaving the Titan King with a dejected expression. "Not doing that here," she said firmly.

Kronos sighed and shot Hades a glare. Rhea rolled her eyes, "Don't blame _our _son, Kro."

"Kro?" Kronos asked with slight irritation, "And you were the one that moved to take off my pants, not that I was going to complain, but still. Your fault."

Rhea raised an eyebrow, "We are still not going that far here, not with the gods and demigods watching." She started walking backwards, away from him.

Kronos cocked his head to the side slightly. "Not that far then," he promised.

"Whipped," Zeus coughed.

Kronos turned to look at Zeus, "You do not know your Mother," he said as he frowned, "if I do not do what she says… well, Othrys may have two Queens instead of a King and a Queen."

Zeus snorted, "Seriously?"

Kronos nodded as he started walking backwards after Rhea, "Oh, yes. She has done it before, as Theron told you. I would not put it past her to do it again."

"Father?" Hestia asked.

Kronos seemed to freeze himself in time before turning to face her, a small smile flickering across his lips for a split second. "Yes?"

"These Caverns, who made them?" Hestia asked.

Kronos shut his eyes for a brief moment, "My Mother did." The gods sucked in sharp breaths, looking around at the place with a different light. "What you have to understand though, is that she was not always like this. Once she was a good Mother, now… I cannot say the same. She first started changing when Ouranos threw the Elder Cyclopes and Hekatonkheires into Tartarus, she became more desperate. When she told us that someone had to kill our Father, I knew she had changed so much that she would never be the same, and yet I still happily volunteered. She was not always like she is now, and that is why all of my siblings and I are reluctant to fight her."

"Kro!" Rhea called.

"Stop calling me that!" Kronos shouted. "It is not my name!"

"And what are you going to do about it?" Rhea asked as she walked even further away from him; she was almost halfway to the tree in the middle of the cavern and a line of emerald flowers marked her path.

"You know running from me is useless," Kronos chuckled, "so why try?"

"Life is full of chasing, and you do more than most," Rhea said in amusement.

Kronos raised an eyebrow, "Because you insist on being difficult," he rumbled.

"Ah, but if we did everything your way then we would be having sex twenty-four seven. Rather unhealthy."

Kronos shook his head slightly, "You have five seconds," he called.

Rhea immediately took off towards Theron and Styx who had managed to climb to nearly the top of the tree. Kronos waited exactly five seconds before shooting off, leaving behind an after image as he manipulated time. He was behind Rhea in less than a second and tackled her to the ground, wrapping his arms around her as they tumbled to the floor.

"Kronos!" Rhea exclaimed.

"I believe that is my name," Kronos said expectantly as he looked up at her.

"You are the most ridiculous, stupid, annoying, little brother in the entire universe," Rhea sighed.

"Yet you still love me," Kronos said in amusement, "what is wrong with you?"

Rhea's eyes narrowed, "You did not just ask that."

Kronos winced, "Okay, stupid question," he said as he was punched in the chest, "ouch. You know that is not very nice."

Rhea rolled her eyes and kissed him, "Shut up."

Kronos immediately did so. Percy quickly took his eyes off of the Titan King and Queen and looked over at Annabeth, he didn't exactly want to watch his grandparents make-out. He grabbed Annabeth's hand and dragged her away to explore the cavern, the demigods going their separate ways.

The Olympians settled for picking their way through the flowers to the tree in the middle, Demeter curious as to how it was made. Theron was sitting on a branch with one leg hanging down and Styx's back resting on his chest. His back was against the thick tree trunk and he was playing with her hair as the two of them talked quietly in the light of the moon shining down on them.

"Nothing will change," Theron murmured, "just because you are pregnant does not mean I will leave you. You are not a mortal, the child will be immortal, and thus it will not be an infringement on the Ancient Laws set down by Chaos. Though I think we may have to tell the Titans sooner than my Father hopes. It has been nine days since we had sex, and is it just me, or are you getting fat?"

Styx's eyes darted down to her stomach, and when she saw nothing she promptly smacked Theron around the back of his head. He laughed, "Sorry, love. I could not resist."

Styx sniffed, "You will be having fun when I have my mood swings."

"I will be taking after my Father and running away from you," Theron hummed.

"Do that and I will leave," Styx threatened, "you got me in this state, and you will be sticking around for the consequences."

"Yes, ma'am," Theron nodded.

Styx rolled her eyes and lifted her head, pressing her lips to his, "Thank you, Golden Boy."

Theron raised an eyebrow, "Where did Golden Boy come from?"

"Your armour," Styx said in amusement.

Theron chuckled, "I have heard worse. At least it is not as bad as Lord Traitor."

"Lord Traitor?" Styx asked curiously, "Who would dare to call you that?"

"Do you really need to ask that?" Theron murmured.

"Perseus?"

"Perseus," Theron nodded. "He is going to have to learn how to keep his mouth shut whilst he is here. Most of the Titans loathe him."

"And you?" Styx asked as she settled back against him.

Theron grunted, "Do you realise what you are sitting on? You are really not helping me here."

Styx shrugged, "I am never going to make things easy for you, get used to it, Golden Boy."

"I do not mind the son of Poseidon, but he definitely knows how to get on my nerves." Theron as he shifted slightly. "As for your other comment… I would not have it any other way."

Styx laughed, "Good because I never intend to leave you."

Theron felt a tingling warmth start in his stomach, though he wasn't sure if it was because of what she had said or because she was currently sitting on his Titanhood. "My love for you has no age, no limit; and no death."

Styx smiled, "That is a very big thing to say, Golden Boy."

"It is a promise," Theron murmured against her, "I have loved you for a long time."

"So have I," Styx said as she locked their lips together.

Theron's head shot up when he heard wolf whistles and he glared at his brothers, "Can we get no privacy?" He exclaimed.

"You have all the privacy you need," Aphrodite called up to him.

Theron sniffed, but Styx laughed and pulled him down towards her. "She is right. I could do this in front of every single mortal in the world."

"Then we have no problem," Theron hummed as he looked down at his siblings who were watching. The demigods were either lying beside their respective partners, or attempting to see how many flowers they could change the colour of. Theron's parents were lying beside each other and just enjoying being in each other's company. The Titan Prince idly thought that this was his new family, and the Titans, of course. This was his new family, and he wouldn't want to change anything he had done before for fear of altering it. He finally had some siblings, even if they weren't as young as he had originally hoped, they were still his family.

"What are you thinking about?" Styx asked.

"How perfect everything is," Theron murmured as he lowered his head to rest his chin on the top of her head.

Styx leaned back against him, a smile on her face, and turned slightly to get into a comfortable position before shutting her eyes. Theron raised an eyebrow as he looked down at her with her black hair covering his face. He pulled her closer to him and settled back as he shut his eyes.

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**Next chapter - Champion of Time**

**I decided that Theron and Styx needed some time together, so here it is. And Kronos and Rhea haven't had any time together either, so they have a moment in this chapter.**


	52. Champion of Time

**amazinggalaxy2003: Family time that is peaceful, at last!.. Awesome chapter! / Yup, and now an actual battle to liven things up.**

**Mythology216: I started this series yesterday and finished it this morning. It is one of the better PJO/HoO fanfics that I have read. I can't wait for the next chapter. In regards to the King's Curse, if i recall correctly, it is the curse placed on Kronos by Oureanos that he would be overthrown by one of his children. I also believe that a similar curse was placed on Zeus when he overthrew Kronos wich is why he ate Metis when she was pregnant with Athena. / wow. thanks. Unfortunately, I was talking about Lycaon's curse (the werewolf one), but I guess I should have made that clearer.**

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**Chapter 52 - Champion of Time**

Theron woke up when he felt someone shove him. His eyes widened and he grabbed Styx as they fell down to the crystal covered ground. He clenched his jaw as a sudden pain erupted from his shoulder blades and the black wings of his Elder Dragon form tore past his top. They flared out and caught the air. Theron slowly glided down until he touched the floor and he folded his wings behind him as he let go of Styx.

He looked up at and glared at Zeus who was hovering beside the tree branch where Theron and Styx had been. "Are you trying to kill me?" He demanded.

"It wasn't my idea!" Zeus shouted in defence.

Theron sighed and turned around to meet the amused gaze of his Father, "Are _you _trying to kill me?"

"I always try to kill you," Kronos said bluntly.

"I will take that as a yes," Theron muttered.

Styx studied his wings with a smile on her face, "I had forgotten you had wings. They almost make you look like a dark angel." Theron's mouth twitched slightly and she raised an eyebrow, "Are you laughing at me?"

"No," Theron said, though it sounded more like a question, "But I guess you are right."

"Of course I am right," Styx said, "I am a woman."

"Now I am not sure about that-" Kronos started.

"You are not sure that I am a woman?" Styx asked in amusement.

Kronos scowled, "No. I am right a lot more than-"

"Watch it, my dear," Rhea interrupted.

"Some woman," Kronos said, and his eyes flickered over to Rhea.

Theron laughed, and Zeus deemed it safe to float down. Kronos shrugged, "And I knew you would stop yourself and Styx from crashing into the ground."

"How nice of you, Father," Theron said sarcastically.

Kronos cleared his throat and looked sternly at the gods and demigods who had gathered around. "No one is to here of this place, am I understood?"

"Yes, Father," Hestia said.

"Tell no one," Percy nodded, "got it, gramps."

Kronos shot Percy a quick glare before turning to look at a certain son of Hermes. "I realise you hosted me, yet got nothing in return," he said carefully, "you gave your life to help me."

Luke shifted slightly at the looks he was receiving from the gods and his fellow demigods, "It was nothing, really."

Kronos rolled his eyes, "Why are demigods so modest at the moment? Son of Hermes, I am offering you something that nearly everyone in Othrys will jump at the chance to have." His eyes met Theron's, asking a silent question. Theron nodded.

Luke swallowed nervously, "What is it, Lord Kronos?"

"I like you, Castellan," Kronos said bluntly, "you know what respect is, unlike some demigods." He shot Percy a look, "Looking at you Jackson."

Percy snorted, "I don't give respect to anyone, so don't sweat about it."

Kronos raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "Luke, I am offering you my blessing."

Luke's jaw dropped. "What? Seriously? You're willing to make _me _your champion?"

Kronos shrugged, "I have never had one before. It will be interesting."

Luke seemed to think for several moments. "What does it involve?"

"Control over time," Kronos said nonchalantly, "and agriculture."

"Agriculture?"

"Demeter," Kronos said simply and Luke nodded slightly.

He took a breath. "I accept your offer, Lord Kronos."

Kronos smiled slightly. "It will hurt," he warned, "a Titan's blessing is very different from a god's. Powerful, yes, but painful too."

Luke nodded. "Do it."

Kronos stepped forward and crouched down so he was at Luke's height. He placed his hand on Luke's forehead. Theron cleared his throat, "You might want to look away."

The gods and demigods did so, and not only seconds later they heard Luke scream in pain. Annabeth started to turn, but Theron quickly stopped her, murmuring, "Trust me; you do not want to see."

Annabeth took a shaky breath and nodded as Luke's screams continued. Finally, Kronos said, "It is done." The gods and demigods turned to see Luke looking pale, but he seemed to be brimming with energy.

Kronos opened his mouth, but there was a loud explosion and he cocked his head to the side slightly before his expression turned angry. He turned to Theron, "Gather the Titans in the throne room."

Theron bowed his head and disappeared in a column of flames. "What's happening?" Nico asked.

Kronos muttered a few curses under his breath as he turned and broke into a run towards to exit of the cavern. "Porphyrion has decided to attack," he said before disappearing into the crevice.

The gods and demigods immediately sprinted after him as they followed Rhea. The Titaness quickly led them to the throne room where Kronos was waiting. They were only there for seconds before Theron fire travelled into the room. He had his armour on and StormWraith on his back with his helmet under his arm. The Titans all appeared over the next few seconds, every single one of them in armour.

All of them looked grim as the ones on the council sat down and the demigods scrambled into the room, most of them looking like they had just woken up. Theron shifted as he rested StormWraith across his lap and waited for his father to speak.

Kronos was silent until another explosion echoed around. "Gaea is attacking," he started and looked at his fellow Titans, "the gods and demigods will stay on Othrys with me. The twenty-two of you will have to fight alone."

Hyperion faltered, "But, brother, without you we cannot hope to combat Porphyrion and the giants."

Koios shook his head, "Kronos is right, Hyperion. They think he is dead – like he should be – and have no reason to think otherwise. Mother has no clue that the gods and their spawns are here. This could work to our advantage, until we know we need help, they will stay up here and out of the way."

Theron nodded, "As much as I hate to admit it, they need to stay here. Not only because Lord Kronos can barely swing around his scythe, but because we have reinforcements on their way even now."

The Titans sat bolt upright. "What?" Themis asked, "How can you know that?"

Theron chuckled, "Our army is only hours away from the Doors of Death. We will easily be able to last that long, and we also have Lycaon and his pack helping us now."

The Titans looked happier, but Lelantos frowned. "There is still the problem of us not being strong enough to combat the giants. I know we do not want to admit it, but at the moment we _are _weak. A few months are not enough time to regain our full strength."

Several of the gods raised their eyebrows as the Titans looked irritated. Kronos sighed, "I have it thought out. There are still mortals flying above the plains in their irritating flying machines. Our power relies on them and the Mist is gone already, it should be simple to convince them that Greek 'mythology' _is _real. They will believe in the gods, and by extension, us. It will give us all power – the power that we need to win."

Theron nodded, "We will need it, Father. The mortals will have to learn sometime, and it is better sooner than later."

Kronos nodded slightly and his eyes met Zeus', "I will need your help, son," he said son like the word was acid in his mouth, "the two of us will have to talk and get the mortals to completely believe in Greek mythology."

Rhea cleared her throat, "Leave the two of you alone together?" She asked incredulously, "Do you really think I would agree to that? I would probably come back with Zeus having disappeared and you looking smug."

Kronos sighed, "Rhea, yes I am very tempted to kill him, but I know that will not help at the moment." He turned to look at Theron, "Go. Once the army get here you will have to control the monsters. Atlas will take the half-bloods." The two Titans nodded and stood up.

Theron strode from the throne room with all of the Titans following him as he whistled for the _spartoi_ and Maverick. Atlas sidled up to Theron's side as the Prince strode forward. "What do you think?" He asked.

"I think we need to prove to Porphyrion that we will not be looked down on," Theron said seriously, "it has been too long that the Giants have viewed us as the weaker descendants of Gaea. We need to change that."

Atlas nodded, a smirk forming on his face. "We slip back into the destroy-anything-in-our-path-Titan-mode?"

Theron's vicious grin matched Atlas' perfectly. "Yes, cousin," he smiled, "time to show the gods the two different personalities we can put up."

Gaea's army was marching towards the path up the mountain path up to Othrys as the Titans crowded around the top of the passage. Theron quickly scanned the army with a practiced eye, noting how only a few of the Giants were amongst the monsters, adding salt to the wound and implying that the Giants were superior to the Titans.

Theron's hand clenched around StormWraith as his eyes narrowed. "No restrictions in this fight," he started and immediately garnered excited looks from the Titans, "but we have to keep the army from reaching the peak at all costs. Draco will stop them if they reach the maze, so that should be safe, but I would rather not risk it." Theron looked over the Titans, his expression determined. "Hyperion, you have full permission to light everything in your path up. Heck, destroy the plain if that will stop the army. Krios, I think the army will be ill equipped to deal with stars exploding amongst them, and Perses, do what you do best." Perses grinned savagely. "We need to deal with as many Giants as possible, and then when the half-bloods get here they can finish them off."

The Titans nodded and quickly flashed down to the plains, immediately hacking at the things closest to them. Theron waited for several moments to judge the fight as the Giants soon started to fight back before unsheathing the Titans' Blade and jumping off the side of the mountain.

Theron landed and encouraged a wave of rocks and dust to extend outwards from himself to swallow the monsters around him. He lunged towards a hellhound and stabbed it in the throat with StormWraith, slashing through the stomach of a Cyclopes with the Blade as he withdrew his weapon and turning to sweep an empousai off its feet. Adrenaline rushed through his body as he ducked under a hand and stabbed the earthborn in the groin – their main weakness. Theron barrelled towards a group of harpies as howls filled the air and Lycaon and his pack joined the battle, charging at the massive army. Theron sent a blast of fire up at the harpies, remembering that his Father had grounded him, and barbecued them into roast chicken. The Titans were doing well and causing havoc to stop the army from stepping foot onto the path, but Theron knew they would be overrun. The army was massive, around thirty-thousand strong not including the Giants, and there was no way they could win without help.

Theron paused for a moment as he watched Lycaon tear into the throat of a dracaenae, his claws and fangs flashing in the morning sun. Theron grunted as he ducked, sensing a hammer cutting the air behind him, and turned to stab the Cyclopes through the chest as the brief lull in fighting was over. He dived under the paws of a hellhound and hacked one off, leaving the monster to vaporise behind him.

A challenging roar echoed around the plains as Polybotes charged Oceanus, the two immortals that had once been friends quickly entering into a fight. Theron looked around the battlefield and saw that the Giants that were with the army had quickly chosen one or two Titans to fight. The only Titan without one to fight was him.

Theron made a split second decision. "Lycaon, defend the path!" He bellowed and turned to find a certain Giant he had a personal vendetta against. Theron scanned the area around him, noting how the monsters were leaving him alone like they had an order not to harm him.

Theron felt something coming towards his back at high speed and turned to get hit by a full-powered lightning bolt. He internally cursed as he flew through the air, his weapons flying from his hands, and landed with a big thud and a minor earthquake. A groan escaped his mouth as he turned over to see the Giant King lumbering towards him, his spear crackling with another lightning bolt which he aimed at Theron.

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**Next chapter - The Titans' Army**

**Theron's in trouble... Porphyrion's aiming to kill in this battle. So, does Theron win? Or has his weird tendency to survive the worst attacks run out? I sort of realised Theron's getting really bad injuries that should kill him, but he's survived all of them... might have to change that :p.**


	53. The Titans' Army

**No reviews... again? Ha, my other story's getting around 12 every chapter... this is sort of getting annoying now.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO/HOO and never will.**

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**Chapter 53 - The Titans' Army**

"Sally!" Paul's voice shouted from the living room, "You might want to see this."

Sally sighed as she walked into the living room, and her eyes widened at what was on the TV screen. "What's happening?"

Paul glanced up from where he was intently focused on the news at two in the morning. "It suddenly came on. It was divine intervention."

Sally sat down on the sofa beside him as she listened to the news, or more specifically, Zeus on the news. _"-your help to combat the Giants. Prayers increase our power and make us stronger. I don't care if you mortals still believe in your God or different gods, but unless you want the world to end and all of you to be slaughtered-"_

"_Like chickens lined up," the immortal beside him interrupted._

_Zeus shot him an irritated glare. "Not helping."_

_The immortal shrugged, "It is true."_

_Zeus shook his head. "If you're not going to help me you may as well go back down to Rhea, maybe you can start making out with her."_

"_Excellent idea," the immortal grinned, suddenly looking more excited._

_Zeus glared at him, "That was sarcasm, _Father._"_

"_I know," Kronos scowled and turned to the news reporter. "You are going to have to pray unless you want us all to die and the world to be cast into an age even darker than this one." He said bluntly._

"_Now that's unneeded," Zeus protested._

Paul looked at Sally, "That's Zeus and Kronos, right?"

Sally was glaring through the TV screen at the Titan King. "Yes," she sighed, "I think that's him."

Paul nodded slightly, "What do you thinks happening to make them need our help? I thought immortals were too proud to ask for help."

"They are," Sally said thoughtfully, "and that just proves how bad their war's going."

"We pray to them?" Paul asked.

Sally nodded and bowed her head slightly, a smile flickering onto her lips. "Kronos, if you've harmed my son I'll find a way to kill you, even if you're immortal."

The shadows in the room lengthened and the temperature dropped rapidly as a stifling presence focused on Sally, she felt like she was being watched by a being that could destroy her with an idle thought.

"_Mortal, do not presume to think you could kill me. If Zeus can't, what makes you think you could?" _Kronos' voice echoed around the room.

"You led a war that lasted five years of my son's life," Sally said firmly, "I'm not going to let you do that again."

"_If I get my way after this war then we will be content sitting on our thrones in California," _Kronos said, _"there will be no cause for war."_

Sally raised an eyebrow. "You don't intend to attack Olympus?"

"_Maybe a little," _Kronos admitted.

Sally smiled slightly, "How can you only attack Olympus a little?"

"_By using something that seems to be very rare amongst immortal nowadays, something called a brain."_

Sally took a breath. "I can't believe I'm asking this of you, but please, make sure my son returns to me."

Kronos was silent for several beats and the two mortals felt his presence retreat. _"I will do my best, Sally."_

"Thank you," Sally said to empty air.

Paul raised an eyebrow. "That couldn't have been Kronos; Percy said he delighted in slaughtering any beings that got in his way."

Sally shrugged, "There's a lot of things none of us know about Greek Mythology. That could be one of them."

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Theron had been hoping to find the Giant King, not have his uncle find him, but nothing ever seems to work out how he wants. When Porphyrion fired the next lightning bolt, Theron dived out of the way and immediately rose into a crouch as he watched the Giant through narrowed eyes and summoned his weapons to his hands. Theron took a breath to calm his racing heart as he clenched his hands around the grips of the weapons, feeling the comfortable weights settled in his hold. The Prince idly realised that the last time he had fought the Giant King several months ago he had been slammed into a wall in a few seconds flat, and this time he intended to beat Porphyrion. Theron hoped Oceanus had trained him enough as he noted there were no monsters, Titans, or Giants in the immediate vicinity – apparently Porphyrion wanted to fight in single combat.

Theron waited as Porphyrion advanced leisurely towards him, spear pointed towards the floor and his face an amused smirk as he looked at the waiting Titan. The golden-garbed Prince hesitated a split second before lurching forward out of his crouch and throwing StormWraith towards the Giant's chest, the three points sailing upwards with pinpoint accuracy and forcing Porphyrion to bring his spear up to knock away the weapon before it buried itself in his breastplate. Theron used his leftover momentum from throwing his trident to bound forward, the Titans' Blade held solidly in his hand as he rapidly closed the distance between himself and the Giant, opting to stay at twelve feet against the sixty foot tall bane of Zeus.

A blast of lightning shot from the end of Porphyrion's spear, forcing Theron to twist away to the side, and carving a trench almost as deep as him in the ground. _Gaea's not going to like that, _Theron mused with a slight smirk on his face as he retaliated with a blast of fire. Porphyrion stepped to the side, but the fire caught the edge of his leg and he hissed in pain.

Theron held his left hand down to face the ground, feeling the ground shift slightly as Gaea tried to wake, and flicked his palm forward, the earth following his movements (much to his grand-mother's ire,) to create a ramp. Theron quickly felt the earth begin to rumble and collapse beneath him under Gaea's control and forced it to rise faster as he picked up speed in his attempt to reach the Giant King. Porphyrion's spear smashed into the ramp, sending earth and rocks flying up into Theron's face, but his helmet protected him from most of the shrapnel as he mentally called StormWraith back.

Porphyrion bellowed as he fired a lightning bolt and Theron ducked, the crackling energy missing him by mere inches as it passed by overhead. Black thunder clouds swirled overhead, centring above the two immortals in a funnel that flickered with lightning waiting to be called down. Theron jumped, feeling weightless for several seconds as he briefly glanced down, fully aware that he was several dozen feet in the air. StormWraith flew into his hand and he immediately swung the weapon, hacking into Porphyrion's breastplate and allowing gravity to pull him down to create a long gash through the Giant King's chest.

Theron's uncle bellowed in pain and attempted to squash the smaller immortal, but Theron easily kicked off, landing on the ground that rumbled and continued to shift. "I will kill you!" Porphyrion angrily promised, his voice a loud bellow, "Mother Gaea shall rise with your ichor, and Othrys' fate is to fall to its own Mother!"

Theron heard yammering in the back of his head coming from the Blade and quickly blocked out the voices as he concentrated on the immortal in front of him. "Those are big words for someone who can't tell the sharp end of a weapon even if it had stabbed you in the face."

Porphyrion's eyes narrowed as he lumbered after Theron, "You are a puny Titan that I have beaten in seconds flat only recently. Once I am finished with you Tartarus shall keep you occupied as you join your Father in hell."

Theron mockingly raised an eyebrow. "Still need your Father to fight your battles for you?"

Porphyrion growled and the hairs on the back of Theron's neck stood up as the area smelled suspiciously of ozone. "If I remember correctly you always go running straight back to your Father, so I would not talk about my parents, _Golden Prince._"

Theron frowned slightly, the name given to him by many of his old subjects grated on his nerves, "Resorting to name calling now are we, child? Rather immature for the so called '_Bane of Zeus'._"

The low rumble in Porphyrion's throat was the only sign of the Giant's rising ire, but it was enough for Theron who dived to the side, a bolt of lightning hitting the ground where he was only a split second before. Theron laughed, "I think you need more practice on firing lightning bolts, uncle. And a lesson on how to be a good King – I think all of us could use that."

"How does it feel?" Porphyrion boomed, "To be King, knowing that it was your failure that killed Kronos?"

Theron clenched his jaw. "Rather good, and before you ask, no. I don't make deals with imbeciles that are trying to destroy Western Civilization."

Porphyrion laughed, "We are finishing what _your _Father set in motion, and we are destroying Olympus! Your Father merely set the beginning of the end of Olympus in motion; Mother Gaea has chosen us – her fourth brood – to finish off Kronos' mission."

Theron frowned, "Kronos stopped trying to destroy Olympus several weeks ago, and so you shouldn't really be continuing if it is only because of his intent that you have started this war."

"Mother Gaea requested that he start the war, did you know that? He was part of her plan to destroy Olympus in the first place, the Second Titan War was merely part one of her strategy. Of course, him joining forces with Olympus was a setback, but only a minor one."

Theron growled under his breath and launched himself at the Giant King, intent on severing his head from his body. He used StormWraith and the Titans' Blade in flawless harmony, forcing his uncle onto the defensive as a strong gale struck up around them. The golden Prince was inwardly surprised at his own skills as he managed to fight toe-to-toe with the strongest Giant, even though it was the hardest fight he'd had for many millennia (which he was expecting) and around him the Titans were gradually stepping back from the waves of monsters charging towards them whilst still having to fight back the Giants. Porphyrion fired a bolt of lightning at him, and Theron slid under the electricity, cutting long lacerations on the inside of the Giant's right foot. As he rose back to his feet, he turned and hacked into the tendons and muscles in his uncle's heel.

Porphyrion bellowed and turned, swinging his spear and clubbing Theron in the side. The Titan was sent flying, tumbling over the ground as his side exploded with pain. He winced, quickly touching the injury and deducing he had at least two broken ribs as he rose back to his feet. His uncle watched him with a confident smirk as the earth rose up to heal his feet. The clouds were covering the entire area, casting long shadows across the plain of Thessaly, and Theron was gradually feeling his energy increase, which could only mean one thing. The army was nearing the battlefield.

Theron dived to the side as Porphyrion's spear slammed into the ground, his ribs aching whilst he sent a blast of fire from the tip of the Blade and ducked under a large hand swung at him. The temperature was dropping rapidly and frost started forming on the edge of Theron's armour, giving the gold-dipped Othryian Iron an eerie look. The golden Prince parried Porphyrion's spear to the side, remembering what his Father had told him a long time ago, when he'd first started learning to fight. _"If you are weaker than your opponent, do not fight strength with strength. You are almost certainly going to lose. Use your brain to outwit your foe; chances are you will be able to win. Tell me, son, trickery or honourable fighting, which matters more when you fight for your life?"_

Theron took a breath and concentrated, he could make illusions of monsters, and many centuries ago he had tried creating illusions of himself. They rarely sustained themselves for longer than a minute, but Theron didn't need that long. He tapped into the power that allowed an immortal's presence to be in more than one place at once and combined it with his power over monster illusions, and Porphyrion stabbed him in the chest.

Theron stopped, his two weapons falling from his grip as his knees collided with the floor. Then in front of Porphyrion's eyes his form shimmered until there was no sign of his ever being there. Theron grinned viciously and launched himself into the air, digging his weapons into the Giant's back and sliding down. Porphyrion bellowed in pain, stumbling forward in an attempt to escaping the burning in his back. Theron danced away from Porphyrion to avoid his flailing limbs as thunder rumbled above them and the Titan's keen ears picked out the sound of wings flapping in the darkened sky. He backed away from his uncle as the winds picked up into a howling gale.

"What are you doing, Titan?" Porphyrion demanded once he had recovered.

Theron smirked and raised his weapons into the air. "FOR OTHRYS!" He bellowed, his cry echoing around the plain.

For a brief, worrying moment nothing happened and Porphyrion started to laugh, and then a faint reply reached their ears: "FOR OTHRYS!"

Porphyrion's eyes widened. "No!" He exclaimed, "Tartarus promised!"

"My brother – Hades – once old me you should always get a solemn oath," Theron said smugly as roars came down from above. Slowly giant shapes detached themselves from the clouds and descended onto the battlefield. "I think you could learn from him."

Loud roars cut through the silence that had fallen, and the plain was lit up with Greek fire, bathing Gaea's army in green flames. Theron watched as Ator the Elder Dragon flew low over the ground, his older siblings fanning out behind him and the monsters in the Titan Army all jumping to the ground in a perfect battle formation.

"Defend the mountain at all costs!" Theron bellowed. The army quickly formed an impenetrable line at the beginning of the footpath and started to fight off Gaea's army. The dracaenae created a phalanx, the empousai readied their claws behind them and hellhounds bayed and paced at their backs as the archers knocked and fired their bows. Less than ten thousand monsters and half-bloods had escaped from Tartarus, but luckily most of the more unique monsters had survived.

The Nemean Lion was darting across the battlefield and tearing apart anything he could get his paws on; the Minotaur barrelled into a group of Cyclopes, his horns piercing flesh, and Theron watched as Kampe dove down towards a hoard of empousai.

Porphyrion angrily thrust his spear towards Theron, and the Prince's eyes widened slightly as he swiftly ducked and rolled to the side, readying his weapons to defend himself. Porphyrion pressed his advantage, lurching forward as Theron quickly retreated away. The ground shifted beneath him and he let out a short curse as he parried away the Giant's spear. They fought back and forth in their little area of the battlefield which no being entered, until Porphyrion slammed his spear into the earth and cracked the ground. Theron dived forward as the fissure rapidly grew, the ground falling away behind him and stopping his retreat.

Porphyrion pointed his spear at Theron as the Prince scanned the area for any places to retreat, but there were none. The Giant King looked down at him in amusement, "You will die in front of your army, _Golden Prince, _and they shall follow you to Tartarus."

Theron clenched his jaw and readied his weapons, "That's not going to happen."

"No?" Porphyrion asked, "And why not?" He stabbed his spear forward in a perfect feint and swept the point around, knocking Theron off his feet. The Prince was pretty sure that the Giant had just broken one of his legs, and he let out a string of curses. Porphyrion boomed in laughter as he readied the spear point, "The first blood in a war," he gloated.

Theron's mind flashed back to Mount Tamalpais. Several years ago, as Seth, he went on the quest to rescue Artemis, and Atlas had said nearly exactly the same thing to the goddess. Artemis had been in the same position Theron was currently in. The Titan grinned and grabbed the spear shaft. It hit the earth right next to him and he pulled backward, using the spear like a lever, and in a prefect copy of Artemis' move, he kicked the Giant. Porphyrion was heavier then Theron expected and the Giant almost fell onto him, which would have been an embarrassing way to die, but the King flew over Theron's head and tumbled straight into the gap in the earth.

Theron blinked as he sat up, Porphyrion's spear point buried in the ground at his side. He groaned and looked at his leg, which looked like the knee had been popped out of place. With a lot of swearing and curses at the Giant King, Theron forced it back into place and stood up, summoning his weapons to his hands before he dove back into the battle to try to get some organization into the monster army.

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**Next chapter - Settling In**

**Kronos has sworn to protect Percy... oh this will be interesting.**

**Sneak Peek since it won't be up for a while...**

**_"You didn't answer my question," a voice complained and Scott shoved his way forward, "come on, Lady Rhea."_**

**_Rhea smiled kindly at Scott, "Your Father decided to fight Porphyrion singlehandedly, Kronos is not very pleased."_**

**_Scott cocked his head to the side, his lips twitching into a small smile, "So gramps is off in another grump?"_**

**_"For an understandable reason," Rhea said calmly, "Theron was almost killed."_**

**_Atlas chuckled, "That does not happen very often, does it?"_**

**_"Sarcasm suits you ill, cousin," Theron said dryly, "perhaps you should stick to insults and brandishing your javelin around like a lunatic."_**

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**Please vote on whether you want a sequel I have planned (sort of) or a prequel to The Lost Son series. I also still need ideas for Theron and Styx's kids. Twins, or a boy or girl. It's your choice, because if I don't get any votes Styx will be having a miscarriage. **


	54. Settling In

**Guest (chapter 13): Ok so why is percy in the main character slot? I mean je has not lade an appernace in what13 chapters?! From Elvira / As you've probably realised by now if you've reached this chapter, Percy does play a pretty bit part in this fanfic. It's him and Annabeth that together manage to get the Titans to help.**

**Disclaimer: same as last chapter.**

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**Chapter 54 - Settling In**

Kronos wasn't going to admit that he was taking great amusement out of watching Zeus' eyes flare up every time a more dangerous monster entered the Black Fortress, but he was going to admit that he was heavily considering finding his foolish heir and kicking him into next week for fighting Porphyrion in single combat.

Gradually, the Titans came streaming up over the hill and onto the Plateau from which Kronos and the gods had been watching the battle. Most of Gaea's army had fled, and the rest had been killed with the arrival of the Titan's army. The Titans were in high spirits, and only a few of them had broken bones that needed to be healed – though most of them had reset their own bones on the battlefield – and there were a lot of cuts, but they would soon heal.

Then voices deep in a conversation reached Kronos' ears and he smiled slightly as Theron reached the top of the mountain, meeting his concerned gaze with his own exasperated one. Then the Prince saw one of the monsters causing a problem and quickly excused himself to quietly walk over.

Medusa was hovering around the demigods; clearly hoping some of them would look into her eyes and be turned to stone as she failed to notice Theron coming up behind her. Poseidon's eyes flickered up over her shoulder to rest on Theron who winked at him before clearing his throat and crossing his arms over his chest. Medusa froze, resembling one of her own stone sculptures, right up to the terrified facial expression as she realised that the Titan of Monsters was directly behind her. The monsters making their way past stopped to see what Theron would do, and Theron knew it would set how they treated the demigods and gods for the duration of the war.

Medusa spun around and quickly knelt into a bow, not daring to speak. Theron waited until she started to squirm before speaking. "Causing problems, are we, Medusa?"

"No, My Lord," Medusa said, the snakes that were her hair strangely subdued.

"Of course not," Theron hummed and Medusa breathed out a small sigh of relief, but then the Prince turned to look at Poseidon, "however, I believe a third party should have an input."

Poseidon shifted slightly and caught Kronos looking at him; the Titan King rolled his eyes at the sea god's hesitation and inclined his head a fractional amount. Poseidon nodded, "She was bothering us."

Theron's mouth twitched into a small smile which was quickly wiped away and replaced with a frown, "Lying does not suit you, Gorgon. We all know how dishonesty is viewed, do we not?"

Medusa reluctantly nodded, "Yes, My Lord."

Theron studied her for several seconds before sighing, "A shame, I would have loved to have used your skills in the battles. Next time you come across anyone allied with Olympus… perhaps it is best to ask me on their status first," his eyes darkened and lit up, looking like golden flames dancing as Medusa erupted into flames, a scream tearing from her throat before she vaporised on the spot. Theron turned around to face the monsters still making their way past and bellowed, "Any attempt to harm or even insult any of the demigods or gods staying in Othrys will be punished as if they had done the same to me!"

None of the monsters dared to argue against the crown prince of Othrys and they all immediately backed away from him, wary of his famed anger that he used to display so often. Theron crossed his arms over his chest as he watched them quickly retreat into the Black Fortress, none of them daring to even look at him.

"That was a bit far," Poseidon murmured.

Theron raised an eyebrow, his sudden burst of anger rapidly diminishing, "Would you prefer that Medusa had killed your son? Turned him to stone?"

"No, definitely not," Poseidon said immediately, "but isn't Medusa one of the stronger monsters?"

Theron chuckled, "Her power is valuable, yes, but she is hardly good at fighting… after all, your son _did _kill her, did he not?"

"Hey!" Percy exclaimed.

Theron's mouth twitched slightly, "My apologies, Perseus." Percy noted he didn't really seem very sorry.

"Theron!" Kronos' voice boomed.

Theron paled drastically, "Oh, help me Mother Rhea," he muttered under his breath.

Poseidon quickly backed up, already realising that when Kronos had his mind set on something he was very rarely dissuaded. Theron turned to see Kronos striding towards him, his expression one of pure irritation. "Whatever you think I did, I did not do it," Theron said carefully as he held his hands up in surrender, "it was Hyperion, I swear."

Hyperion laughed, "Do not drag me into this, nephew. I have had no free time to try anything… unfortunately."

Theron grinned, "Oh, good," before Hyperion could ask him what that was supposed to mean he turned back to Kronos, "okay, seriously. What have I done?"

"Started a fight that almost got you killed," Kronos growled.

Theron blinked, "Porphyrion? But I beat him."

Kronos clenched his jaw, "You do not even realise…" he murmured, "maybe I was wrong, Theron. You have not grown a single bit. Yes, you are taller, but your tendency to be foolish has not changed. In many ways you are more mature than your siblings, but in others… you are a child compared to them."

Theron stood still, his eyes wide in disbelief as Kronos abruptly turned and strode into the Fortress. There was silence on the mountain peak as every being watched the Titan King disappear into the darkness beyond the massive double doors which slammed shut behind him.

Rhea sighed, "Do not worry, Theron, you know how he gets when you are in danger. He will soon get over it."

Theron swallowed, "It did not look like he will to me."

Rhea shook her head, "Be careful, son, he worries when you go into battle without him, and you know it. Fighting Porphyrion on your own when only months ago he beat you in seconds… _was_ rather foolish, and-"

"Who's foolish?" A voice called from the top of the path.

Theron turned to see Atlas, looking rather happy for one covered in ichor and golden dust, and a group of half-bloods standing behind him. "Any casualties?" He asked.

Atlas shook his head, "None. A few injuries, but nothing serious."

Theron nodded and relaxed slightly. "That's good news."

"You didn't answer my question," a voice complained and Scott shoved his way forward, "come on, Lady Rhea."

Rhea smiled kindly at Scott, "Your Father decided to fight Porphyrion singlehandedly, Kronos is not very pleased."

Scott cocked his head to the side, his lips twitching into a small smile, "So gramps is off in another grump?"

"For an understandable reason," Rhea said calmly, "Theron was almost killed."

Atlas chuckled, "That does not happen very often, does it?"

"Sarcasm suits you ill, cousin," Theron said dryly, "perhaps you should stick to insults and brandishing your javelin around like a lunatic."

Atlas' eyes narrowed, but his eyes shone with amusement. Rhea quickly interrupted before they could continue their brewing argument. "I should be going to make sure Lord Kronos does not destroy anything in his anger." She fixed Theron with a sharp glare, "Help the army to settle in, and introduce the demititans to Olympus. I would rather all animosity is out of the way before sunset."

"Yes, Mother," Theron muttered, and at the look she gave him he rolled his eyes. "Honestly, I swear on my honour." Rhea nodded, apparently satisfied, and turned to follow Kronos into Othrys.

Theron sighed and turned back to face Scott, "You are seriously going to be killed by your grandfather someday soon. You know he hates being called gramps."

"And that makes it all the more amusing," Scott quipped. "And if he doesn't like it he doesn't really try to get us to stop, does he?"

Theron shook his head in amusement, hiding the sadness he still felt as he decided he was going to talk to his Father before nightfall, and let a fake smile grow on his face. "Get inside, the lot of you," he said to the Titans, "not you, children." Most of the Titans quickly disappeared inside and Theron raised an eyebrow as Iapetus came over to him.

Iapetus rested a hand on Theron's shoulder, and the Prince scowled when he had to look up at him. "Theron, remember what happened the last time you did not get out on your own for a while? You got into a fight with Kronos, and created the worst known disaster to mankind. Do not keep it bottled up."

Theron fisted his hand, his bare fingers digging into his palm, "I know," he said stiffly, "you do not have to remind me of one of the worst things I ever did."

"I did not mean for you to think of it that was," Iapetus said calmly, "merely for you to think before you start causing volcanic eruptions and meteor strikes."

"The meteor strikes were Krios," Theron argued, "I, unfortunately, cannot do that."

Iapetus shook his head, "Just be wary, nephew. We cannot afford for you and Kronos to be arguing in this war, not if we wish to win."

Theron nodded slightly, "I understand, uncle. Trust me; I know what I will do."

Iapetus chuckled and turned to walk into the Fortress, looking back over his shoulder to say, "Seven decades ago if you said 'trust me' I would be expecting you to stab me in the back. Now, however, I believe you."

Theron felt a slight sense of nostalgia as he thought back to when he was younger, realising that, despite what he would wish, Iapetus was right, but still… "I was not _that _bad!" He called.

Iapetus waved his hand dismissively behind him, "Perspective."

Theron scowled at his uncle's back as the doors once again shut and sighed, turning to face the gods. "Olympians, demigods, meet the demititans of Othrys," he waved his hand in the general direction of the demititans.

Xavier, Theron's eldest pulled a face, "Wow, what an excellent introduction, Father."

Theron glanced down towards Xavier. "Have you shrunk?"

Xavier's eyebrows furrowed and his eyes flickered down to check how tall he was, before looking back up to Theron. "But I am still six foot – oh, shut up. Just because you have grown again," he grumbled.

Theron smirked, "A little longer and I will finally be able to look your grandfather in the eye without having to look up slightly," he frowned for a brief moment, but quickly smoothed out his expression before anyone could notice.

"That still does not mean you can jest about still growing," Dereck mumbled.

Theron merely shrugged and once again turned to face the gods who were watching with bemusement. "This is Xavier, Jazz, Amber, Dereck, Scott, Nathan, Shan, Vivian, Pandora, Shayla, Cleo, Estela, Natasha, Steve, Clint, Anthony, Louis, Oliver, Brett, Fos, Troy, Sylvia, James, Evelynn, and Cyrene. Holy immortals do not make me do that again," he sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"On the bright side," Fos said, earning a lot of groans at his pun from the demititans, "you didn't forget any of us this time."

Theron shook his head slightly. "Please, Fos, stop your puns about light. I get enough from Hyperion, your father," he added for the sake of the gods, "I do not need any more from you."

Fos shrugged, "Hey, my _name_ means light. I don't think dad could have been any more subtle if he was charging into a war."

Theron snorted, "That could not be any further from being a lie." He glanced briefly at the doors, half expecting Kronos to stride through and demand a word with him. "Though, I hope there will be no… problems between any of you and Olympus."

Jazz, one of Theron's two daughters and the one that had decided to use his sphere of control over hunting, shifted slightly, "But Peter…"

"He knows," Theron said firmly, eyes flickering to look at Chiron before landing on Jazz, "there is to be no recompense for his actions. Let the past stay in the past." He crossed his arms over his chest, "Besides, your entire lives you have only known each other, and no one else… except from your parents." He faltered slightly as he remembered the mortals that he had once fallen for, before banishing the thoughts from his mind, "So getting to know the demigods would do you some good at least… if only to fight beings other than yourselves."

Most of the demititans didn't really seem pleased by that, until Theron added, "I am sure Perseus would speak to several of you." His gaze sought out Percy who raised an eyebrow.

Scott immediately perked up, "Really? So cool." He saw Percy looking slightly uncomfortable and grinned, "Did you really nearly beat dad in the Battle of Manhattan?"

Poseidon supressed his laughter as Theron sniffed, "He did _not _nearly beat me."

Scott's grin widened, "Of course not, he only cut off six of your seven Hydra heads and you had to revert back to your actual form to prevent yourself from being completely decapitated."

Theron frowned, "How did you even hear about that?"

"Grandfather told me," Scott said.

Theron rolled his eyes, "Of course he did."

"Dad," Xavier said calmly, looking at Theron, "go. I know you want to. Don't worry, we'll be fine, I swear, no fights will start."

Theron looked gratefully at Xavier and nodded, leaving with a muttered, "Thank you," as he quickly retreated into the Fortress to find his Father.

Scott quickly took the opportunity. "No supervision, guys," he grinned as he looked back at the demititans.

Nathan, the son of Krios raised an eyebrow, "Scott…" he said warningly. "Try anything and Theron won't be the only one knowing."

"Kronos loves me," Scott said dismissively, but didn't mention it again and instead changed the subject. "Who's up for exploring?"

Immediately most of the demititans nodded their assent, and Scott grinned. "Any of you want to join?" He looked at the demigods, "Since Theron, Rhea and Kronos are going to be otherwise occupied for a while this is a great opportunity to have some fun before our e_steemed _Lord comes charging after us with scythe in hand once he figures out we've broken into the restricted section of the armory again."

Derek's eyes widened, "Scott! We can't do that! Father will be furious."

Scott shrugged, "We've braved his anger countless times before."

"Actually," Jazz said calmly as she fingered the dagger at her side, "you were only born seven decades ago. Five years before Father took his unplanned swim – or planned swim, we still need to ask him about that, by the way – don't you remember?"

Scott sniffed, "I remember perfectly fine. Thank you for telling me that."

Amber smirked. "Don't worry, _little brother, _you're still older than all of the demigods."

"Speaking of them," Scott glanced at the demigods unapologetically, "come on. We're losing time here – figuratively speaking, of course, it's sort of hard to lose Kronos – seriously, I want to know what Father's been hiding."

"That's not a very good idea, Scott," Xavier said warily, "if Father didn't appreciate you snooping around back in Tartarus then he's definitely not going to want you to do it now."

"I didn't hear him complaining," Scott smirked.

"No, but you will be when your control over monsters is gone as punishment," Derek interjected.

Scott merely shrugged, "I'll take my chances. Any of you coming?"

Most of the demititans shook their heads, not wanting even the slight chance of turning Theron's anger towards them, or even worse, Kronos' anger. Derek sighed, "I'll come. If only to stop you from going to far."

Scott pulled a face. "I never go too far. Perseus, are you coming? I'll take all the blame if Kronos finds us," he added.

Percy hesitated, worried about Kronos having an excuse to cut off his head, but when Annabeth's hand clenched around his slightly, he nodded, "I'm coming."

"Percy," Poseidon said nervously, "that's probably not a good idea."

Scott grinned, "Don't worry… uncle, I've got it covered. Kronos has a soft spot for me, the worst he's ever done to me is lock me in my room. And that was after I caused an explosion in the armory."

Nathan snickered, "Like he did when Theron got Perseus and Annabeth out of Othrys? He was locked in there for several days."

"Unconscious," Derek corrected, "and he picked the lock almost as soon as he woke up."

"That's beside the point," Nathan said dismissively, "the point is, Kronos is going to seriously kill you if he catches you in the restricted section of the armory."

"That's the fun part," Scott grinned.

* * *

Theron exhaled as he looked at the door across the corridor, the green torches on the walls flickering and casting dark shadows across the hallway. He knew that despite his recent attempts to please his father, he hadn't really done that well, and now his father was pissed for some reason that he couldn't fathom. He could leave now and save himself from the conversation that was bound to go wrong or he could brave knocking and try to sort out the apparent disagreement between his father and him.

He started to turn away, and then thought of Porphyrion's mocking tone_. "We are finishing what _your_ Father set in motion." _Theron strode back to the door and knocked, not bothering to hide his slight anger. There was murmuring in the room, and nearly a minute later the door opened to reveal Rhea.

Theron's mother smiled and slid out of the room, muttering, "Be careful, dear. He is in a foul mood."

"Thank you," Theron breathed, and Rhea pressed her lips to his forehead.

"Sort out all your problems now. Othrys has to be a unified front in this war, and only then will Olympus follow."

Theron nodded and swallowed nervously as Rhea disappeared down the corridor. He took a breath before stepping into the room and shutting the door behind him. Kronos was lying on his Titan-sized bed, goblet of nectar held in his hand, and his scythe propped up against the bedside table beside him. Theron was tempted to make a joke about nectar and mustard, but decided against it.

"I should hope your interruption was for a reason," Kronos said calmly, but Theron knew his father's anger was simmering just below the surface.

The Prince grabbed a chair and straddled it, leaning his arms on the back as he looked at his father and waited for him to speak, knowing that he was in a volatile mood and any wrongly worded sentence could set him off. With his scythe within easy reach, Theron didn't want to press his King any further than necessary.

There were several minutes of silence, during which Theron summoned himself a goblet of nectar and rolled it around in hand after taking a couple of sips and feeling his energy start to replenish. Kronos eventually sighed and drained his nectar, dropping the goblet and watching with a detached expression as it disappeared before hitting the floor. "Just what am I going to do with you, son? You prove your maturity superior to the gods, but then you go and take unnecessary risks that could have easily been avoided by thinking about your actions. I suppose I should be partly to blame for that. My efforts at keeping you innocent when you were younger have backfired spectacularly on me. You had a shielded upbringing, and your siblings did not – they were fighting from their birth to survive."

Theron blinked. "So you wish you had eaten me too?"

Kronos smiled humourlessly. "I wonder what would have been different, if that is what you mean. Do I wish it? No. Whilst I have made many mistakes over my life, I do not think I will change them. Yes, it would have been nice to not have had Ouranos' curse upon me that forced me to devour my own children to protect my throne, but that is in the past. The past should not, and cannot be changed."

"Was there a point to saying all that?" Theron asked.

Kronos raised an eyebrow, "You were the one that asked. I merely humoured you."

"I will take that as a no," Theron muttered.

"Perhaps," Kronos nodded, "but tell me. _Why did you face Porphyrion?_"

Theron swallowed, noting how Kronos shifted so he was leaning against the headboard of the bed and his eyes seemed to bore holes into Theron. "You can face him alone; I just… wanted to show that I could too."

Kronos shook his head, "I am several thousand years older than you, son," he chided and Theron ducked his head to hide his slight embarrassment, "as Mnemosyne so kindly pointed out – nearly sixteen thousand – and have spent literally my whole life trying to defeat beings that are taller or stronger than me. You, however-"

"I was able to defeat him, father!" Theron exclaimed.

"After he broke your leg," Kronos said harshly, "do not think I was not watching, son. It was luck that saved you." His tone softened slightly, "When Gaea rises – and she will, despite our best efforts – you will try to fight her. I know you will, but you _must not._ I will fight her, perhaps alongside you, perhaps not. You will have to agree with what I say, no matter the situation and if you do actually agree or not. I will not have you die in this war, if any one is to enter Tartarus it will be me. Do you understand?"

Theron nodded, "Yes, father."

Kronos seemed pleased and his eyes flickered from Theron to look around the room. "Good. Now we may discuss other matters."

* * *

** Next chapter - Giant Hunter**

**Who's the Giant? Should be pretty obvious because of the title.**

**What are your thoughts on Lycaon and his actions a few chapters ago? Does he seem sincere... or not?**


	55. Giant Hunter

**Guest: Was the Natasha, Steve, Clint and Anthony an Avengers reference? You did add several Thor/Avengers fanfics to your favorites. Love the story so far, you did an amazing job with it. I want Styx to have totally triplets.(Note the sarcasm.) Actually, I want her to have twins.(A boy and a girl.) Also, I think want to see a prequel for this. (I had such a hard time deciding.) Keep writing! / Glad someone noticed the reference ;). Thanks for the compliment (really, thanks) and the vote. **

**amazinggalaxy2003: Awesome chapter! Can we have a Styx and Theron moment? / It will come... sometime.**

* * *

**Chapter 55 - Giant Hunter**

"_After he broke your leg," Kronos said harshly, "do not think I was not watching, son. It was luck that saved you." His tone softened slightly, "When Gaea rises – and she will, despite our best efforts – you will try to fight her. I know you will, but you must not. I will fight her, perhaps alongside you, perhaps not. You will have to agree with what I say, no matter the situation and if you do actually agree or not. I will not have you die in this war, if any one is to enter Tartarus it will be me. Do you understand?"_

_Theron nodded, "Yes, father."_

_Kronos seemed pleased and his eyes flickered from Theron to look around the room. "Good. Now we may discuss other matters."_

Theron frowned. "Other matters?"

Kronos nodded. "Yes, there is the matter of how we will reveal that the gods are residing with us, and that I am still alive with the biggest strategic value possible," he grimaced slightly as he pushed himself up onto his feet. Theron frowned as he watched, not liking how weak his father still was.

"Have you been to see Apollo since your abrupt entrance into the throne room where you decapitated your nephew?" Theron asked with narrowed eyes.

Kronos raised an eyebrow, "No. And I am fine, stop worrying. You are almost as bad as Rhea."

"With good reason, father, you _were_ dead for several minutes."

"A since then I have been _alive_ for several _hours._ Stop worrying," Kronos scowled.

Theron shook his head, knowing how stubborn his father was so he wouldn't dare admit to any weakness. "About revealing you, then," Theron said as he stood up, "Gaea knows that our army is here and any pretending otherwise is foolishness. The best tactical advantage will be gained if we trap her army between our army and Olympus'. We could work our way into the middle, meet up there and effectively stop any monsters from escaping."

"We could," Kronos said, "but a full-on attack will result in more casualties than I wish to sustain. We cannot lose more of our army than is appropriate, if only for after this war Zeus may wish to attempt to destroy us."

Theron frowned slightly, but couldn't disagree with him. "If Zeus does that he would be a bigger fool than I originally thought." Kronos nodded slightly. "I hardly think Poseidon or Hades will join in, neither will Hestia and then there are the many minor gods whom still favour Othrys. If a war is to break out Zeus will not win it, and he knows this."

"Either way, I am not taking any chances," Kronos said firmly as he moved over to the desk shoved against the wall and searched for a map of the plains, carefully flattening it against the marble. "This is rather old, but should still help."

Theron's eyebrows furrowed as he studied the map. "Are there mortals living on the Plains?"

"If there are they shall have to escape. It is that or being killed," Kronos said dismissively.

"Charming," Theron remarked.

"If I wanted to be charming I would have shoved you out and invited your Mother back," Kronos retorted, "I hardly find the need at the moment."

"I thought so," Theron said dryly, "you _do _seem to be in a bad mood."

"If the only thing you are going to do is comment on my current attitude then you can leave," Kronos scowled.

"Did I interrupt something between you and Mother?" Theron asked, and to his amusement Kronos twitched his hand slightly in a sudden urge to punch his son. "I am assuming that is a yes?"

Kronos sighed, "Your fascination with sex is getting on my nerves," he said bluntly.

Theron snorted, "Hardly. I just find it amusing that despite the countless times you have told me I am not going to have another sibling any time soon you still continue on trying."

Kronos moved quickly, knocking Theron's legs out from under him and slamming him down onto the marble table with his hand pressing down on Theron's throat. "Your immaturity used to be endearing, son. Now it is just annoying." He held Theron down for a few seconds longer before letting go and allowing him to scramble away.

"Sorry," Theron apologised as Kronos turned back to the map, "but on the bright side, I hardly think Mother needs to be worried about you in a fight."

"Are you going to help? Because I have full authority to throw you from this room," Kronos threatened.

"That was supposed to be a compliment, but yes." Theron leaned against the desk, looking through the sheets of ancient papyrus. "We could have the demititans join with the demigods – see if Atlas can control a few hundred half-bloods," he supressed his laughter at the mere thought of Atlas organising the hundreds of children the gods had brought with them to war. Judging by the way Kronos turned his face away slightly, he was thinking along the same lines as his son. "Though Perseus may be a slight problem with that, and I doubt Atlas would entertain the idea of commandeering the mortals that tricked him back under the Sky."

"He may like it," Kronos disagreed, "being able to order them around with an excuse and them having to listen." He paused for a brief moment as a worry run through his mind. "The gods," he started, "how good are they at fighting?"

"I managed to defeat Hades in the battle of Manhattan, shortly before flying to the throne room to kill you," Theron said and pointedly ignored the glare sent in his direction.

Kronos frowned, "That was unnecessary, son. But we shall have to deal with that. They will have to be trained against us – against immortals that can easily match their abilities."

Theron nodded, "I do not think Zeus will agree."

"He can disagree if he wants," Kronos said calmly, "be it on his head."

"If I did not know any better I would say you wanted him to die."

"You do not," Kronos murmured. "I-" He frowned, cocking his head to the side before letting out a curse. He strode over to his scythe and quickly grabbed it on his way out of the room, leaving Theron to hurry after him.

"What has happened?" Theron asked as he grabbed Kronos' arm and forced him to stop.

"Someone has broken into the restricted section in the armory," Kronos said shortly.

"Is it Scott?"

"No," Kronos growled, "a giant."

* * *

"So you actually did make _The Princess Andromeda _explode?" Scott laughed, "When we heard that I didn't believe it. I mean, seriously, that was a ship overseen by _Kronos _himself_._"

Percy shrugged, "I almost managed to make myself explode too. Sort of glad I didn't now."

"So am I," Annabeth agreed, "it wouldn't have been a good ending to the war if you weren't there."

"A lot of people die in war," Jazz murmured, "it's the main objective in battle – destroy the enemy."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean we have to like it, even if we're used to it now," James said as he rolled his eyes.

Jazz flushed slightly, "I never said I liked it."

"Hey, Jazz, careful," Dereck muttered as he put a hand on her shoulder, "we don't need deer running around again."

"That was one time!" Jazz exclaimed, "Stop going on."

Dereck grinned and dodged his half-sister's half-hearted punch. "Jeez, I'm joking. No need for violence, sis."

"Hey, where are we going, exactly?" Bianca asked, "Because I don't really want to be doing something that's going to get us killed."

"I did say I'd take all the blame, right?" Scott grinned, "I don't go back on my word, and dishonesty isn't a very good trait to have."

"You'd know that," Dereck nodded, "what with the amount of times you've lied straight to grandfather."

"He hasn't killed me yet, I think that's an accomplishment, and don't worry, Bianca, we're just going into the restricted section in the armory," Scott said.

Annabeth pursed her lips, "I'm pretty sure if something's restricted it means we're not supposed to be in there."

Scott shrugged, "Your point? Honestly, you've been here for a few days and haven't explored? What have you been doing to pass the time?"

"Trying to avoid Kronos so he doesn't feel like cutting my head off," Nico offered.

Nathan rolled his eyes, "If that's what you're worried about I'd be more worried about running into Hyperion. He's been in a bad mood recently."

"I'm pretty sure that's only because Theron stabbed him through the back," Steve frowned.

"So, what exactly is in the restricted section?" Clarisse called forward, apparently bored of her argument with Thalia over whether long-range or close-range weapons were better in battle.

"Jazz?" Scott asked, "You were alive _before_, right?"

Jazz's hand clenched around her dagger sheathed at her waist. "You do know it's rude to mention age around women, yes?"

"You're a woman?" Scott asked in mock surprise.

Jazz punched him. "Shut up."

"It was a valid question!" Scott exclaimed indignantly, and yelped when Jazz hit him again, "I was talking about my first question! Jeez…"

Jazz shook her head, ignoring the supressed laughter from behind her. "In the restricted section there are restricted weapons."

"I sort of guessed that."

"Sorry, Scott, but I can't tell you anymore. You'll have to see for yourself – and, yes, I have actually been in there," Jazz added as Scott opened his mouth.

"Wait, you've been in Othrys before?" Annabeth asked, "But that means you must be…"

"Old?" Jazz asked, "Yes. I was born just after the Titanomachy started. Theron hid me and my mother away so we weren't killed in the war. Xavier is older than me – he can actually remember the war. Peter… he was the eldest of us and several dozen years older than Xavier."

"What was Othrys like back then?" Annabeth asked in a sudden urge to find out as much as she could. "Actually, how are you still alive?"

Jazz laughed, "Demititans are half-immortal… like Artemis' Hunters," she said with a nod in Thalia's direction. "We only die in battle."

Annabeth nodded, "So how old's Scott?"

Dereck grinned, "He's a kid still, well, in our terms anyway. Our dad decided he would celebrate Kronos' return to consciousness eight decades ago. He came up to the surface, spent the night in a club, and returned the day after announcing that mortals had become much more… experienced."

Scott made a gagging noise, "I really could have lived without knowing that last bit." He stopped walking and several of the other half-bloods nearly walked into him. "We're here. At the armory." He turned to look back and leaned on the door to open it. "Meet the armory of Othrys."

Clarisse' jaw dropped. "Holy Hera," she muttered. "Where the Hades did the Titans get all this from?"

"Some of it we brought up from Tartarus," Dereck explained, "didn't want to leave anything down there, though most of this was here before."

The armory was massive; three walls (including the one the half-bloods had entered from) were covered in weapons and armor of all sizes. There were swords, spears, hammers, axes, daggers, throwing knives, bows and quivers full of arrows, and crossbows along the walls. In the room there were hundreds of mannequins with sets of complete body armor on. Right in the middle of the room was a table that was completely bare with nothing on.

"Wait until you see the restricted section," Jazz snorted, "this is nothing compared to that."

"Where's the restricted section?" Clarisse asked excitedly, forcing her eyes from the weapons on display.

"This way," Scott called, making his way to the only wall not covered in weapons right to the ceiling.

"What does the table do?" Percy asked.

"The First generation Titans and Theron can create any weapon with a thought there," Jazz explained.

"So it's a magic table?" Nico snickered.

Anthony, the brother of James and son of Iapetus shrugged, "Yes. Apparently it's where Kronos created Theron's scythe, and when he was older, his armor."

"Apparently?" Annabeth frowned.

James rolled his eyes, "The Titans couldn't really care less where something was created, as long as it does its job. They sort of leave us to make assumptions."

"So Theron's trident, who created that?" Percy asked.

"He did," Jazz replied and her mouth twitched slightly, "also, don't let Kronos know this, but he also created the weapons of his siblings in here."

Thalia's eyes widened, "Seriously?"

Jazz laughed, "Yes, but even they don't know that, only Rhea knows."

"I thought the Elder Cyclopes created them, at least, that's what the whole of Olympus thinks," Annabeth muttered.

"Yeah, but Theron couldn't let Kronos know he'd created the weapons, could he? He handed them to Rhea and she gave them to the Cyclopes with orders to say that they had made them. I think even the Cyclopes don't know that Theron made them."

Percy whistled, "So if Kronos found out…"

"Theron would have been banished back then," Nathan nodded, "Kronos would've been furious."

"Hey!" Scott shouted, "If you're done, the door's open already. I didn't even have to pick it!"

Clarisse immediately jogged over there, quickly followed by the other half-bloods. On either side of the door there was a statue. On the left was a much younger looking Theron, and on the right was Kronos. Both of the statues were carved out of gold and had scythes, seemingly guarding the restricted section.

Scott opened the door to reveal complete darkness in the room beyond. "Hey, Nathan, James, a little light, please?"

The sons of Iapetus summoned silver fire that flickered above them, casting light over the restricted section. "Oh my gods," Bianca murmured

There were glass cases with glowing armor sets and weapons that leaked energy and raw power. Jazz smiled, "You know Othrys isn't at full power yet? That's because their power was stored down here when they began to think the war wasn't going to end well, and because of whatever lie Kronos drew up. Yes, mortals believing boost the power of the gods and the Titans, but the power down here is easily enough to cause another disaster like the one that destroyed the dinosaurs. This is a fail-safe, and – what the Tartarus was that?"

Dereck frowned, also having seen the flash of black across the room. "Hey, Scott, you said the door was open, didn't you?"

"Yes, why?" Scott asked.

There was a sudden hissing noise, and Jazz let out a yell, clutching her calf where a black feathered arrow had appeared. "Find cover!"

Dereck grabbed Jazz and pulled her behind a glass case as another arrow was fired at them. "Scott, you're an idiot!"

There was the sound like rushing water, and Dereck peeked around the corner to see a small tsunami crash down on him. "Perseus, what're you doing?"

"It's not me!" Percy shouted back, "And I can't control it."

Dereck scanned the room, noting the layer of water covering the floor, and saw someone step forward from where the tsunami had come from. He looked from Percy to the being trying to kill them and immediately saw the similarities between them.

"Percy, do you have a long lost brother?" Scott asked.

Percy blinked, "Not that I'm aware of."

The being looked like a carbon copy of Percy, right down to the black hair and sea-green eyes, the only difference being their height. The being was several feet taller than the half-bloods. He held a bow in his left hand, a black arrow resting on the string and ready to fire in an instant. A savage grin appeared on his face, "How amusing. Demigods and demititans together… never thought I would see that in my entire life."

Thalia's eyes narrowed, "Orion," she hissed angrily.

Orion cocked his head to the side, "A Hunter of Artemis? Lieutenant… even better. I shall enjoy killing you, demigod."

Thalia gritted her teeth and promptly fired an arrow at him. The son of Poseidon caught the arrow several inches from his face, his mouth twisting into an amused smile. "I should not have listened to the belief that the gods had retreated, I suppose it was too good to be true." He snapped the arrow between two fingers, "Flimsy, Ms. Grace, I would have though the Hunters would have developed somewhat in the last few thousand years. Apparently not." He knocked an arrow and pointed it at Thalia.

"Shoot then," Thalia said fiercely as she aimed her own arrow at him, "see if I can't hit it in mid-air."

"I am sorry to say that I am not here for you, cousin, but to take away any chance of the Titans gaining more power. At least, that _was _my mission, but now I have been given a glorious opportunity. Mother Gaea still needs the blood of a female and male demigod, and it will be all too easy to do so here," Orion sneered and jerked the bow to one side, the thin layer of water covering the floor rising up to restrain Percy.

Percy's eyes were wide at he stared at his much older brother. "Orion, why are you doing this?"

"Vengeance," the small Giant hissed, "for Artemis killing me." He drew back the string, the arrow aimed at Percy's abdomen so he wouldn't die.

"Orion, don't!" Annabeth shouted.

Orion just laughed and released the arrow, the black shaft leaping from the bow at an incredible speed as it cut through the air. The arrow neared him and there was a golden flash. Percy braced himself to feel the pain, but felt nothing. He blinked, looking down to see nothing buried in his abdomen, and back up to look at Orion - the Giant was watching him incredulously with wide eyes.

"I would suggest you do not try that again, grandson," a cold voice said.

* * *

**Next chapter - Plan Two: Seduction**

**Who is it coming to the rescue?**

**Theron and Styx's children:**

**Twins (boy &amp; girl) - 1**

**I have an idea for an AU ending of this story (because it's pretty obvious Othrys and Olympus are going to win). Here's the summary/draft of the summary:**

**In a world ruled by the first immortals - the Primordials - mortals live in fear of speaking out against the Queen - Gaea. The Titans and gods that fell before her are forced to work for the Primordials, each of them being bargained for like common slaves. Theron soon finds himself serving the Lord of the Pit and the Lady Night. He finds himself desperately balancing his new life as the General for Tartarus' army and pleasing his Lady at her will. Meanwhile, a rouge vigilante rises up to combat Gaea's rule and incites rebellion amongst mortals and immortals alike. He calls himself Stryder.**


	56. Plan Two: Seduction

**amazinggalaxy2003: Oh my God, is it Kronos? If it is, I'm going to freak out so bad! / Why would you freak out? It's just a little arrow, jeez. :p**

* * *

**Chapter 56 - Plan Two: Seduction**

_The arrow neared [Percy] and there was a golden flash. Percy braced himself to feel the pain, but felt nothing. He blinked, looking down to see nothing buried in his abdomen, and back up to look at Orion - the Giant was watching him incredulously with wide eyes._

"_I would suggest you do not try that again, grandson," a cold voice said._

The Titan King strode forward, scythe in hand and no armour on, with an arrow embedded in his chest, to stand between Percy and Orion. The Giant gritted his teeth, "Another lives. How irritating. We were informed that Ouranos had killed you; next time we should verify the claims ourselves."

"Yes," Kronos agreed, "you should. When you reform again."

In an instant Orion had another arrow knocked and aimed at Kronos. "Shall we see who can move faster? You, or me."

Kronos raised an eyebrow, "I hardly think that is necessary."

"Oh?" Orion asked, "That is fine. Be sure to tell Tartarus Gaea is not very pleased with him."

"I think you will be able to do that yourself," Kronos said pointedly.

Orion sneered at him, "Oh, really? And why wou-" He was cut off as three points emerged from his chest.

"You can send Tartarus the message yourself," Theron hummed in satisfaction. "Are any of you going to finish the job?" He asked as he looked at the half-bloods.

The water holding Percy up fell back to the floor and the son of Poseidon quickly moved towards the fallen Giant to stab him through the heart. He frowned slightly, "Why are all my immortal siblings trying to kill me all the time?"

"Theseus is rather nice," Theron said calmly, "far better than Orion was. I honestly should have been expecting this," he added.

Kronos scowled and turned his attention to the arrow in his chest, idly tugging the shaft out and turning the arrow around between his fingers. "You shall have to speak to Hades about this, Theron. If Gaea is raising the dead we will have to be prepared."

Theron nodded. "Later," he promised and turned to look at Jazz who had pulled the arrow out of her leg and was applying pressure to stop the bleeding. He quickly knelt down beside her and placed his hand over hers, "Careful next time," he said with a slight smirk.

"Oh, shut up, father," Jazz said fiercely. Theron chuckled lightly and sent a concentrated beam of energy into the arrow wound, watching with satisfaction as it quickly sealed up in front of him.

"Better?" He asked, amusement clear on his face, though Jazz could see the concern for her hidden underneath the layers.

"Thanks, father," she muttered as she scrambled to her feet.

Theron nodded mutely, his eyes roaming around the room. He swallowed slightly as he looked at the various suits of armour and weapons scattered around, each of them carrying a memory of some sort.

Kronos eyed him carefully, "Son…?"

"Brings back memories," Theron said wistfully as he tore his eyes from a black and silver suit of armour, "doesn't it?"

Kronos looked at the suit of armour and his expression turned sad, "Aye, that it does," he murmured, his eyes trailing along the group of armour sets positioned proudly in the centre of the room. "Our four faded brethren, and the original armour of the once Lost Prince."

Theron shook his head, "Lost a long time ago, and never completely returned. Pallas, the War Bringer; Eos the Dawn and her twin brother Helios the Bright," he listed, "and then Selene the Silver." He chuckled humourlessly, "All my cousins, and ones that I failed."

"No, my son," Kronos said firmly, "you never failed. They now rest in the Great Abyss, in peace until the Gates of Chaos open, as they were meant to. You know the stories – that one day the faded will return."

Theron snorted and crossed his arms, ignoring the confused half-bloods as he faced his father. "You mean the hopes of a sentimental old fool. They are hardly the truth, Father; they are nothing more than stories."

"We were nothing more than stories only hours ago," Kronos said pointedly, "at least to the mortals. You should know there is truth to every myth, having created many of them yourself."

"Um, I don't want to interrupt or anything, but what are you talking about?" Nico asked.

"An old tale created by grieving immortals," Theron said dismissively, "nothing you need concern yourself over."

Kronos shot Theron a glare, "_Not _just a tale. It is a prophecy created by Chaos itself, of a time when the entire world is threatened and complete destruction will reign. No pantheon will be able to stop it on their own, so-"

"_Mae'n rhaid i'r ddau rasys cystadleuol yn ymuno i oresgyn ac amddiffyn y Ddaear , ar gyfer dim ond byddant wedyn yn dangos Tynged eu 'n rhaid i'r gwympir anghofio os ydynt yn dymuno ar gyfer bywyd , a rhaid i'r plant godi eu maddau ymryson. Dychwelyd pylu gydag arfau disgleirio llachar, i tywysydd mewn oes newydd o olau hadfywio,_" Theron chanted.

Kronos raised an eyebrow. "For someone who does not believe the tale you seem to have memorised it perfectly."

Theron rolled his eyes, "The monsters await the famed moment, and it is rather hard to forget with them chanting it so often, though many have forgotten now."

Percy blinked and raised his hand, "Uh, can we have a translation?"

Theron shook his head, "See what has become of your blood, Father? Disgraceful. So unaware of the language that birthed the very Universe."

Kronos hummed, "Then we shall have to rectify that, shall we not?"

Theron blinked, "Are you actually offering to _teach_ _the_ _gods_?"

Kronos cocked his head to the side, "Is that truly so surprising after recent events?"

"Well, no," Theron frowned slightly, "not really."

"Hello?" Percy asked, "Still don't know what Theron said!"

"Percy," Annabeth hissed as she elbowed him in the stomach.

Percy just shrugged, "What? Kronos isn't as eager to kill me now. Can you really expect me to _not _take advantage of that?"

"The two rival races must join to overcome and defend the Earth, for only will they then show Fate their worth. The overthrown must forgive if they wish for life, and the risen children shall forget their strife. Faded return with weapons shining bright, to usher in a new age of revived light," Theron said, his tone implying how ridiculous he thought it was. "An old tale of the end of the Universe if 'the overthrown' and 'the risen children' do not join into one pantheon, and I suppose you can guess whom the tale refers to?" He asked, his lips curling up into a smirk, "Rhea was the first to recite it, claiming that Gaea had told her when she gifted her the rock that Kronos swallowed instead of Zeus," Kronos' eyebrows furrowed at the reminder, "and Gaea claimed that it came from Chaos itself."

Kronos frowned. "The mortals that worshipped the Viking Gods – Odin, Thor, Loki, the Norse pantheon – had the correct idea about the end of the Universe, known to them as Ragnorak. Someday everything shall end, and I am selfish in wishing that I would have faded by then, if only to not know what will become of this world."

Theron shook his head. "That is not selfishness, father. Merely wishing to not see everything we have worked towards be destroyed."

Kronos leaned against a glass case that held a dark grey greatsword. "Does Olympus know about ?"

Annabeth frowned. "Not that I know of, though they could know, but just haven't told us."

"They have no reason to know yet," Theron murmured, "let them enjoy their ignorance while they still can."

Kronos nodded, "We shall tell them when they need to know, and no sooner." He moved away from the glass case and turned to study the sword inside, a thoughtful look on his face.

Theron narrowed his eyes, "No, I know that look… Father? What are you thinking?"

"You remember whose weapon this is?" Kronos asked carefully.

"You think I can forget that?" Theron growled. "It's Pallas'."

Kronos nodded slowly, "And the weapons and armour of Eos, Helios, and Selene are in here too."

"No!" Theron said vehemently, "I know what you're thinking! The Titans won't accept it!"

"Wait, what's he thinking?" Nico asked.

Theron bared his teeth, "He wants to _replace_ Pallas, Eos, Helios and Selene. To fill the ranks of the fallen with _half-bloods_ of all beings!"

"I thought you liked them," Kronos said calmly.

"Not when they're going to replace my cousins," Theron growled, his eyes flashing red and his hands fisting by his side.

"Son, calm down," Kronos murmured, "it was a passing thought, and shall not happen unless the Titans agree it must be done. We are four less than we used to be, and four more immortals could change the outcome of this war… but unless Olympus and Othrys completely agree nothing it happening."

Theron nodded and slowly unclenched his fists, his eyes fading back to a bright gold. "Sorry," he apologised once he'd calmed down again, "I shouldn't have lost control like that."

"You shouldn't have," Kronos agreed, "but I think we should leave this room… before Rhea comes to investigate. I'd rather I do not have to be interrogated by her… again."

Theron quickly nodded in agreement. "We should set up the shield again; you never did it after Prometheus took it down, did you?"

Kronos frowned at the mention of the wayward Titan as he turned to the half-bloods. "I think it is best if you join us, or you can try your luck in the arena with the other demititans. It should be rather amusing to watch."

"I'm going to the arena," Clarisse immediately announced.

"I'll go with you," Steve offered.

Clarisse shrugged, "Sure. I'd like to fight a child of Atlas."

Theron followed Kronos out of the restricted section into the actual armory with the half-bloods trailing behind them. Once they were out of the room, Kronos placed his hand over the lock and muttered a few words under his breath to lock the door. Theron's mouth twitched as he saw the Essence Forge, remembering how he'd created his sibling's weapons.

"Hey, father? You remember that down here is the-"

"No," Kronos interrupted.

"You don't even know what I was going to say!" Theron exclaimed, "At least let me finish." Kronos gestured for Theron to continue. "If you absorb your stored power then we can reveal you and the gods' army sooner. The war will end sooner. We can set a trap or something and take the army by surprise."

Kronos frowned. "If I do, then so will you. Did you really think I would not notice that you fought when I specifically told you not to?"

"Firstly, absorbing more of my powers will only make The Wolf stronger when I turn and harder to control. And secondly, I was hoping you'd forgotten," Theron smirked.

Kronos shook his head. "If you do not absorb any of your old power, you will not be fighting again in this war. If you turn then Lycaon will be able to control you – he _is_ used to new-born mutts running around."

Theron scowled, "_Werewolves, _father. Not mutts."

Kronos shrugged, "No difference. Look, my point is, it is going to happen eventually. May as well embrace it."

Theron snorted, "Really? Because you definitely embraced Ouranos' prophecy, didn't you? You _ate _my siblings."

Kronos sighed. "We have been over this countless times before, son. Please stop going on about it, yes, I know it was a mistake. But that's beside the point. Increase your power," he ordered.

Theron scowled, "Fine. I'll do it, but if I turn on the battlefield, it's your fault. Agreed?"

Kronos rolled his eyes, "Yes, son. Agreed."

"You do it first," Theron said firmly.

"Uh, no. I'm not stupid, son. You do it first."

"Excuse me, you're not going to do it if I do it first," Theron argued.

"And you won't do it if I do it first," Kronos growled.

"For the love of Olympus!" Annabeth exclaimed, "Stop arguing, and just do it at the same time!" Theron and Kronos both turned to her with identical expressions of stubbornness and irritation on their faces.

"Okay, stop that too," Percy added, "it's weird."

Kronos sighed in exasperation. "Demigods," he said as if they were the cause of all his problems in life.

Theron nodded in agreement. "They do have a point, father," he admitted.

"I know," Kronos grumbled. _"Yr wyf fi, Kronos , Titan Amser, derbyn fy bŵer llawn."_

Theron sighed. _"__Yr wyf fi, Theron , Titan o Elfennau , derbyn fy bŵer llawn."_

There was a rush of wind and a low humming sound as the two Titans glowed golden and seemed to de-age in front of the demigods. Theron looked like he was twenty instead of twenty-five, and Kronos was in his mid-twenties instead of mid-thirties. Kronos moved his attention to his chest and lifted up the edge of his shirt to carefully unwrap the bandages around his side.

The demigods found themselves holding their breath as the layers came off, and revealed Kronos' chest as it shifted in front of them. The edges of his burn healed before their eyes and slowly the gaping wound knitted together to create undamaged skin. Theron grimaced as he struggled to shove down the Wolf as it reared its ugly head at the influx of energy. It howled in his mind, protesting as it was supressed by the Titan.

"Theron," Annabeth said carefully, "are you alright?"

"Yeah," Theron panted, "fine. Why?"

"Your eyes flashed red," Bianca murmured, "like Lycaon's used to be."

Theron chuckled, "For now I'm fine, but the Wolf will rise again quickly enough."

Kronos frowned slightly. "We should leave. Before Rhea comes by."

Theron snickered, "Not in the mood to fend her off today, father?"

"No," Kronos smirked, "I had to do enough of that last night." The King of Othrys strode towards the doors. "Time to put the shield up again. Then we can discuss how to play this war now."

Theron sighed, "Father, this is not a game. Not anymore," Theron sighed.

Kronos shrugged. "Perhaps to you, but to me, this is the best game yet."

* * *

"Is there something you want to tell me, my dear?" Rhea asked smoothly as she strode into the throne room.

Theron caught his father's slightly worried gaze and smirked. "I think Atlas would like to fight someone that can bash him to a pulp," he said, starting to walk towards the doors. "So, if you'll excuse me…"

Rhea put her hand against his chest as he tried to pass. "No," she said firmly. "You are not going anywhere, son. Not until I find out what happened in the restricted section."

"Nothing happened in the restricted section," Theron said with a roll of his eyes. "Kronos just didn't want the half-bloods snooping around."

Rhea nodded. "An excellent lie, son. I would believe you… if it were not for the golden dust covering the floor." She crossed her arms over her chest, and her eyes narrowed when she saw Kronos' eyes follow the movement. "Oh, save it for the bed," she snapped.

Kronos' mouth twitched up slightly and he quickly forced it back down. "I was looking at nothing," he promised.

"Really?" Rhea asked sceptically. "That's just insulting."

Theron cleared his throat. "Can I go?" He asked hopefully.

Rhea shook her head. "No. I want to know what happened."

"Nothing happened, Lady Rhea," Annabeth said respectfully, "Lord Kronos and Theron just didn't want us prying into the weapons and armour in the restricted section."

"How come you're Lord and Lady, but I'm not?" Theron complained.

"I still don't forgive you for leading us into a trap and voting for us to be killed," Annabeth said calmly.

Theron grumbled under his breath. "That was my father's idea!"

Kronos shrugged dismissively. "Guilty."

"See?" Theron exclaimed as he gestured wildly in Kronos' direction.

"Put your arms down, son," Rhea scolded, "you look like a demented Harpy."

Theron shot her a glare. "Insulting," he hissed.

Rhea just sighed. "What happened in the restricted section?" She demanded.

"Annabeth just told you," Kronos sighed, "do you not believe her?"

Rhea narrowed her eyes. "Not when you're trying to convince me to."

Kronos started walking towards her, pulling up the edge of his shirt. "I absorbed my stored power that rested there. Look," he said, practically taking his shirt off, "I'm healed."

Rhea's eyes focused on his chest as Kronos continued walking towards her. "I can see that," she said dryly.

Kronos smirked as he wrapped his arms around her. "Nothing else happened," he promised pressing his lips to hers.

Rhea seemed to melt into Kronos' embrace. "I believe you," she murmured. "The gods are fighting the Titans in the Arena. Perhaps you should come and join in," she added.

Kronos nodded. "I'll be along in a few minutes. I just need to finish up here."

Rhea stepped back and the earth closed up around her. Once she was gone Theron let out his laughter. "You took your shirt off on purpose," he noted.

Kronos' smirk widened. "Of course."

Theron rolled his eyes. "She's going to hate you for seducing her," he said wryly.

Kronos shrugged. "I'll sort it out tonight. In bed."

Theron grinned. "Please tell me you two are trying for another kid?"

Kronos shifted his weight from one leg to the other. "I cannot say otherwise," he said carefully.

"Wait a minute," Percy said with wide eyes. "_You _want another child?"

Kronos sighed. "There is no reason why I shouldn't."

"We're in a war!" Bianca exclaimed.

Kronos raised an eyebrow. "And? I'm not seeing your point here."

Theron frowned suddenly, a suspicion forming in his mind. "Father, Prometheus was there when it was revealed that Styx and I are seeing each other, wasn't he?"

Kronos' eyes widened. "Yes," he muttered, "he was."

Theron swallowed nervously. "Porphyrion and Gaea know, don't they?"

Kronos grimaced, "Probably." Theron clenched his jaw, feeling the Wolf rise up again, but this time their interests were aligned on one thing: _protect my mate. _Theron felt something click into place as the Wolf quickly agreed with his thought, and a primal urge rose up unbidden.

"Son," Kronos said carefully, having seen a brief flash of red in his eyes, "are you alright?"

"Perfectly," Theron growled.

* * *

**Next chapter - The Wolf Takes Hold**

**Porphyrion and Gaea know about Theron and Styx... how's that going to come into the story? You'll find out.**

**Theron's kids:**

**Twins (boy &amp; girl) - 1**

**So I'm thinking there's not many chapters left. I still need names for Theron's kid(s), and I'm leaning towards them having twins. Also, do you want to see a sequal, prequel, or AU ending (the summary I put up at the ending of last chapter).**


	57. The Wolf Takes Hold

**amazinggalaxy2003: Oh no, the wolf! Yes pretty please, sequel! / Haha. Thanks for reviewing pretty much every chapter recently. Please, continue.**

**Mythology216: Great chapter. A name for a boy could be Krivon. I don't have any ideas for a girl. / Krivon... I like it. Thanks.**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO and/or HOO**

* * *

**Chapter 57 - The Wolf Takes Hold**

"Come on, brother," Theron said mockingly as he blocked Poseidon's trident, "you can do this. One hit."

Poseidon gritted his teeth as he brought his trident around in a feint to Theron's legs before shifting his grip and swiping up with the butt towards his chest. Theron easily shifted his position and parried it away, letting go of StormWraith with his right hand and punching Poseidon in his sternum. The sea god was sent flying across the arena as the Titans laughed, many of them nearly falling off the seats as Poseidon trudged over to the gods Theron had already defeated.

"Zeus," Theron called, "get over here. You're my next victim."

The sky god sighed and made his way over. "Do I have to do this?" He asked warily, his master bolt humming in his hand.

"Yes," Theron grinned, twirling his trident around his body. Zeus grimaced as he settled into a battle stance. Theron lunged towards Zeus and the god parried away the attack, his master bolt flickering to a spear and back into a rod of lightning. Theron laughed as he attacked again, and Zeus hurriedly blocked it.

"What's gotten into you, brother?" Zeus demanded as they struggled against each other.

Theron grinned wickedly. "I'm merely trying to help you all. If I can beat you this easily, what do you think Gaea will do?" He backed up and Zeus stumbled slightly. Theron swept the butt of StormWraith round and took Zeus' legs out from under him. He didn't stop there and stabbed down. Zeus' eyes widened and he rolled to the side, away from the blow that would have hit him in the neck.

Zeus scrambled to his feet and backed away as Theron suddenly fell to one knee, a loud groan tearing from his throat. There was a golden blur and then Kronos was kneeling in front of Theron, his hand on his shoulder. There were murmurs from the watching beings – from demigods and demititans to immortals.

"Son?" Kronos asked carefully.

Theron ground his teeth together. "Get back, father," he said desperately, "I can't-" a groan tore from his throat, breaking off into a growl halfway through.

"Theron?" Zeus frowned.

Theron's hands fisted against the ground. "GET BACK!" He roared. Kronos ignored him and stayed where he was, trying to comfort his eldest son. Zeus backed up as he saw Lycaon bounding down the stands and jump into the arena.

"Lord Kronos!" The Werewolf shouted, "You're going to have your throat torn out if you stay there!"

Kronos clenched his jaw. "I don't care," he scowled.

"You will care when you're in Tartarus again," Lycaon said firmly. "Back away – I can deal with this."

Kronos hesitated as he looked at Theron, but then nodded and stood up to quickly back away. "What's happening?" Percy asked in confusion.

"Kronos, do you have somewhere Theron can go where he won't hurt anyone?" Lycaon asked.

Kronos shook his head to get himself out of his stupor. "Yes," he said, "the dungeons."

"No!" Rhea exclaimed, "You can't put him there."

"I don't want to either," Kronos growled, "but I won't have him harming anyone." He turned back to Lycaon. "There's a cell in the dungeon made for werewolves."

Lycaon stared at Kronos for several seconds before smirking. "If it's anything like the cell you had in Tartarus it'll be excellent."

Kronos' mouth twitched slightly as he nodded. "Atlas, Hyperion, secure Theron."

The two Titans moved forward and each grabbed one of Theron's arms and shoulders, holding him still between them. Theron moved his head slightly, and Atlas forced back the miniscule amount of fear rising up in him – the Prince's eyes were a glowing, bright, blood red. As Atlas watched, the hand that he was forcing behind Theron's back became clawed. There was a golden glow around them, and everything but them slowed as Kronos manipulated time.

Atlas and Hyperion quickly forced Theron forward, the Prince not putting up any fight. "I'm not sure silver will work," Kronos frowned, "not after Theron's alterations to the curse."

Lycaon nodded. "Best to be safe anyway. If it does work on him, that's good. If it doesn't… we may have a problem."

Kronos turned to face him slightly. "But you'll be able to control him, right?"

Lycaon hesitated. "His Wolf's a lot stronger than I expected," he admitted. "I'm not sure I will be able to control him."

"You control every werewolf," Atlas said, "don't you?"

"Only those beneath me," Lycaon replied, "I hold no control over other Alphas."

"Other Alphas?" Hyperion demanded, "You mean _Theron's_ going to be an Alpha?"

"It feels like it," Lycaon murmured, "which makes him far more dangerous."

"Flash from here," Kronos ordered now that the doors to the Arena were shut. The two Titans holding Theron immediately did so as Kronos put his hand on Lycaon's shoulder and did the same, after instructing him to close his eyes.

They reappeared in the dungeons. Hyperion and Atlas were already halfway down the corridor, hauling a now writhing Theron between them. Kronos and Lycaon hurried after them to a cell made of silver. The bars were completely made of silver that was infused with celestial bronze for more strength, and the walls had a thin silver coating. Kronos moved forward and opened the door for Hyperion and Atlas to put Theron inside. The two Titans glanced at the cuffs on the ground.

"No," Kronos said firmly, "he won't need them."

Atlas nodded in relief and let go of Theron, quickly retreating out the door before Kronos shut it. Hyperion waited until the door was shut, and only then did he let go of Theron and fire travel out of the cell. There was movement down the corridor as several Titans and gods approached. Kronos frowned slightly as he watched them before he turned his attention back to Theron.

"Is he alright?" Rhea asked worriedly.

"At the moment," Kronos nodded. "Nothing's really happened yet."

Rhea took a deep breath. "Good," she said weakly.

"How long will it take?" Atlas asked.

Lycaon shrugged. "It depends if he lets it happen or not. If Theron fights it'll be a lot more painful for him. I've seen it take anywhere from a few minutes to nearly a day."

Rhea took a shaky breath. "I hope it doesn't take long."

The Titaness' eyes met Kronos', and the Titan King's expression softened slightly. "He'll be fine, my dear."

"It's not just him I'm worried about," Rhea replied evenly.

Kronos rolled his eyes. "Truly, my dear, do you think I will enter the cell?"

"It's not something I would put past you," Rhea murmured.

"Hey," Poseidon said, "sorry to interrupt," he grinned unapologetically, "but will Theron be okay?"

"If he stops fighting it," Lycaon scowled, studying the twitching Theron inside the cell. "He's just making it a longer process, and of course, it'll hurt more."

"Father," Theron whined as he shook, "it hurts. It's like fire."

Kronos' hands fisted by his side, "Stop fighting it," he said sharply.

"It hurts," Theron whimpered, "I can't."

Artemis winced, knowing how much it hurt to turn into a mutt. Many of her Hunters had fallen prey to the infection, and she'd had to put them down, but she didn't really want to suggest that to Kronos. The Titan's eyes had hardened, and his nails dug into his palms as he stared at Theron.

"No one is to move a muscle or say anything once it's done," Lycaon said warningly, and the immortals all nodded in acknowledgement.

Theron's back arched up, his hands scrabbling against the black marble floor, and Artemis realised that he was trying to stop himself from screaming in pain. A quiet hiss escaped his mouth, and then Artemis heard a loud _pop_ that was quickly followed by something tearing. Theron screamed as his limbs moved in their sockets, rotating around as his body changed. The base of his spine grew, ripping through skin and muscle and splattering ichor on the walls, and fur spread along the extra appendage. His shirt and jeans tore apart as fur shot up along his entire body. Luckily, he was facing away from the door, so the immortals didn't see what happened to his face, but judging by the way his scream changed into a loud howl, his face shifted into a wolf's.

When the transformation was done, Artemis' jaw dropped. Theron was at least twice the size of a horse and was easily towering over them. Lycaon took a small step forward, and Theron tensed, still facing away from them. Lycaon took another step, and Theron whirled around, his hackles quickly rising. His lips pulled back, revealing shining white canines, and his hind legs were tensed so he could lunge towards them at the slightest movement. The worst thing was the blood red eyes that flickered over each of the immortals in turn, calculating which of them would be the biggest threats. His eyes lingered over Kronos, Artemis, and Lycaon.

"Theron?" Kronos asked carefully, taking a step forward.

Theron's top lip curled and he snarled in response. Lycaon quickly modified his vocal chords to that of his wolf form and growled back at him. Theron's jaws snapped shut and the sound made most of the immortals flinch, imagining those teeth closing around a limb. The force would easily be enough to crack straight through bone, probably a lot of bones at once.

Kronos took another step forward. "Kronos," Artemis hissed, "stop."

"He's not going to hurt me," Kronos said firmly as he took another step.

Theron snarled, his tail swishing from side to side as he lowered his body slightly. "You know whenever someone says that, they're attacked, right?" Poseidon asked warily.

Kronos shot Poseidon a glare before turning back to Theron, holding his hands out to either side. "I'd like to talk to my son," he said dryly and as an afterthought added, "properly."

Theron growled, now almost lying on the marble floor as he watched the Titan approach. Lycaon saw the slight twitch of his hind legs and immediately know what he was going to do. The wolf king watched as he waited, hearing his heartbeat spike slightly, and Theron's eyes flickered over to him.

"Kronos," Lycaon said urgently, "careful."

Kronos turned to face Lycaon, and Theron launched himself forward. Lycaon lunged between the two, already expecting it to happen, and punched the bottom of Theron's jaw. Theron's teeth closed around the silver bar, his muzzle snapping shut inches from Lycaon's head. A loud crack echoed around, but the watching immortals weren't sure whether it was Lycaon's fist, Theron's jaw or teeth, or the bar.

There was a shocked silence, before Hyperion moved forward and helped Kronos to his feet, Styx doing the same to Lycaon. Theron retreated, and when he did so Lycaon's eyes widened when he saw that the bar had cracked slightly. It was a hairline fracture, but it was there. He paused when he saw that Theron was looking straight at Styx.

"Of course," he breathed.

"What?" Styx asked, avoiding looking at the Titan she loved in such an animalistic state.

"It's you," Lycaon murmured to Styx.

"What's me?" Styx frowned.

"Look at Theron," Lycaon said, "he's not growling. No hostility."

Kronos frowned at Theron. "Why?"

Lycaon cleared his throat, knowing that Theron and Styx had been trying to keep their relationship a secret, but guessed that Theron would rather not be stick in his instincts for the rest of this war. "Styx, could you go where Theron can't see you? Just for a few seconds."

Styx's eyebrows furrowed, but she nodded and retreated from view. Theron watched her, his eyes on her every move, and when she went out of his line of sight, he whined slightly and sniffed the air. After a few seconds of not seeing her, his hackles rose again and he growled at Lycaon, the wolf king grinned.

"Styx, come back," he said.

A split second later she did so, stepping back into Theron's line of sight, and the Prince relaxed, his hackles dropping and the growl tapering off. Kronos frowned, "So Styx calms him down?"

Lycaon shook his head. "It's more complicated than that. She's his mate – so he'll do anything to protect her, be anything that she needs. All werewolves choose mates, and they only take one in their life. If their mate dies, the wolf usually follows them." He shot a glare at Artemis, "But unfortunately most werewolves are immortal," he said bitterly. "They're only mortal if they were originally, but that rarely happens because mortals don't smell as nice as other beings."

Kronos raised an eyebrow as he looked at Theron. "How much do we need to worry about him biting anyone?"

Lycaon paused. "A lot," he admitted. "He's an Alpha so his first instinct is to build a pack that will be able to compete with the other Alphas in the area. Unfortunately, I'm the other Alpha, and my pack is the biggest, so he's not going to stop trying to bite people for a while."

Kronos muttered a small curse. "So what do we do? His state of mind will begin to affect the monsters in Gaea's army, and in ours, and I would rather I didn't have to deal with that."

"So no one's going to comment about how Theron and Styx have been together for however long?" Hyperion demanded.

Kronos' mouth twitched as he fought back his smirk. "They've been courting a few months now."

Hyperion scowled at his brother. "You knew?"

"Only for the last few days," Kronos nodded, "and this is a good thing." He said turning to Lycaon.

Lycaon nodded in agreement. "Very good, because for the Wolf to find a mate it always has to agree with the one that was bitten and the more things the Wolf and the Marked agree on the better it is."

"You speak as though the Wolf and the… 'Marked' are different beings," Athena noted.

Lycaon paused as he thought. "It's like… the Wolf is the side that is mostly instincts, and the Marked is the 'human' side. The Wolf _is _the Marked, but also not. So at the moment, that is Theron, but he's relying solely on his instincts and none of his thoughts."

Styx slowly nodded. "So what do I do?"

Lycaon took a step closer to Styx, but a loud snarl from Theron quickly made him stop. "Okay!" Lycaon exclaimed, turning to Theron, "I get it! She's yours." He turned to Styx. "You've got to go in there."

Oceanus' eyes widened. "No," he said firmly. "She's not going any closer to him."

"He won't harm me, father," Styx said confidently.

"Not intentionally," Oceanus argued.

"Lycaon can tell Hyperion when Theron's actions become aggressive," Kronos suggested, "and he can easily fire travel in there and get her out."

Lycaon nodded. "It'll be easy."

"Father?" Styx asked hopefully.

Oceanus clenched his jaw. "Fine, but if he harms you I'll kill him," he said sharply.

Kronos stiffened slightly and reluctantly nodded. "That sounds reasonable."

Styx took a breath and walked to stand just outside the cell. Theron rose onto his four paws, his eyes focused completely on the goddess. Kronos flicked his wrist and the door unlocked with an almost inaudible click, and Styx slipped inside, shutting the door behind her. Theron padded towards her and the immortals held their breaths as he lowered his head towards Styx, his warm breathing shifting her hair as he sniffed her. Theron huffed and moved his snout to her stomach, nudging it gently.

Styx brought her hands up and carefully touched the side of his head, beginning to slowly stroke his fur. Theron leaned into her touch. Styx smiled as she ran her hand along the side of his head. "He's so soft," she murmured, moving closer to him.

Oceanus exhaled in relief as he watched. "It worked," he said.

Kronos snorted. "Well done for stating the obvious."

Theron moved backwards away from the doors, his ears twitching slightly. Styx followed him into the centre of the cell as he flopped down. She calmly sat between his front legs and he rested his head beside her, and the gods watched as his blood red eyes faded slightly, being mixed with a golden tint.

Lycaon relaxed slightly. "Well, that was entertaining," he grinned wolfishly.

"What now?" Styx called from her position at Theron's paws.

Lycaon shrugged. "For now? That's it. If Theron finds an agreement with something else we can use that, but for now we'll have to wait."

"What would an agreement entail?" Hyperion asked.

"Who he likes and dislikes," Lycaon said, "they're usually the most common, but we shouldn't risk it. If he attacked _Kronos _anyone else has no hope."

"Why isn't he biting Styx?" Poseidon frowned.

"She's immortal," Lycaon explained, "he has no need to." He took a breath, "But we _are _going to have a slight problem in a month or two." His eyes flickered meaningfully towards the unnoticeable bulge on Styx's stomach.

Artemis' narrowed her eyes slightly. "Why will there be a problem?"

"If a lycanthrope has a child the infection will always pass to the offspring," he said carefully, "but since Theron was bitten after they… you know, the infection won't be passed on. That causes a lot of problems, because the werewolf _always_ and I mean without fail, the parent will always try to turn them. Age doesn't matter to the Wolf, only that their children are also infected."

"I don't see the – Holy Chaos," Oceanus growled and turned to Kronos, "your son knocked up Styx, didn't he?"

Kronos raised an eyebrow. "They are both several billion years old, brother," he said dryly, "they do what they wish."

Oceanus shook his head. "And now because of it Theron will try to turn the children, or child, as soon as they are born!"

Lycaon frowned. "The werewolf does it so they will be able to protect themselves, so that _may _not happen, but I can't be sure. It depends on how strong the kids are when they're born."

"Okay, so first we find out that Theron and Styx were seeing each other for however long, and now we discover that Styx's pregnant?" Hyperion exclaimed, "Why are none of you commenting?"

The few Titans shrugged, and Koios laughed. "Because of how he acted back down in Tartarus, I've had my suspicions for a while."

Theron's top lip curled and he growled, making most of the immortals freeze. Lycaon raised an eyebrow and nodded slowly. "Kronos, can you open the cell?"

Kronos frowned. "Why?"

"He wants the two of us to come in," Lycaon murmured.

"Kronos," Rhea said warningly, "remember him trying to bite you."

Kronos nodded. "I know, but I'm not going to be unaware of what's happening this time. I'll be ready for it." He unlocked the cell and let Lycaon in before entering.

"Theron," Styx said warningly as he rose to his paws.

Theron looked down at her for a second before turning his attention back to the two immortals that had entered. He padded over to Kronos, his paws making no noise as he approached. Backbiter shimmered and appeared sheathed at Kronos waist, the Titan King crossing his arms over his chest with his back leaning against the cell door.

Theron stopped a few feet in front of him, and lowered his head to the floor, exposing his neck to Kronos. The Titan's eyes widened at the act of submission, and he relaxed. "Don't bow," he said firmly. Theron lay down completely in front of Kronos, his snout less than a foot away. Kronos swallowed and slowly reached out to rest his hand on Theron's nose. Theron shut his eyes and leaned into the touch.

"Son," Kronos murmured. Theron's tail twitched back and forth as Kronos stroked him.

Lycaon grinned as he watched, and then Theron turned to him. Lycaon felt a sudden presence press down on him from all sides and force him to his knees. His wolf side reacted to the weakness he felt and he couldn't push it back. Lycaon imploded into his werewolf form, snarling at Theron who had risen up onto his four paws.

"Hyperion!" He dimly heard Artemis shout, "Get Kronos and Styx out!" Lycaon was focused only on the other Alpha in front of him; he was focused on the werewolf that threatened his title. Theron was crouching protectively in front of Kronos, his teeth bared as he growled at Lycaon.

The wolf king launched himself towards Theron, the two werewolves colliding with a loud thud in mid-air. Theron's mind was relying only on his instincts as he fought, completely submerged in the savagery of his new werewolf side. Lycaon was completely aware of what was happening, and yet didn't want to stop.

"We have to stop them!" Artemis shouted over the sounds of them snarling.

"I'm _not _going in there with both of them again!" Hyperion exclaimed.

Theron was several inches taller than Lycaon and his form was more muscular and he seemed to have the advantage, despite having not been a werewolf for that long. Theron snarled and tried to snap at Lycaon's neck, but the king backed away and clawed the side of Theron's head. Ichor dripped onto the floor from their various injuries, and Theron backed away shaking his head.

Lycaon lunged towards Theron in his moment of weakness, and Theron darted to the side, swiping at Lycaon's head and knocking the king to the floor. The Prince snarled down at him, his glistening teeth inches from Lycaon's throat. Lycaon growled in response, but his ears twitched back. Theron's paw was resting on the base of Lycaon's throat, and a low rumble bubbled up from his stomach.

Theron touched his snout to Lycaon's forehead, and the king's eyes widened. Lycaon reverted back to his mortal form, his eyes changing between molten gold and blood red. "Impossible," he growled, "I'm the king of Arcadia, son of Pelasgus and Meliboea."

"No, Lycaon," Kronos called, quickly realising what was happening; "he speaks the truth. You are his son."

"No," Lycaon snarled. "That's not true," his eyes glowed dangerously, "he turned me into…_this._ _No _father would do that to his child."

"It was the hardest thing Theron has ever done," Rhea murmured. "We couldn't find him for many decades as he ran, wallowing in self-hate and pity, and fear that you would loathe him. He watched over you ever since then, always waiting for a sign that you didn't hate him, or that you needed his help. Theron was willing to do _anything _to get you to forgive him."

Lycaon shook his head. "I never saw him, never smelt him. You're lying."

"You may call me many things," Rhea said firmly, "but do not presume to thing that I am telling anything but the truth at this moment."

Theron growled, baring his fangs at Lycaon, and the wolf king met his apparent father's eyes. Kronos frowned as he watched. "Now, Lycaon, before anything else happens, would you like to tell me something?"

Lycaon's eyes widened slightly. "What…? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Really?" Kronos asked sceptically.

"Yes," Lycaon nodded.

Kronos nodded slowly. "Right, then perhaps you could tell me why I sense Mother's blessing on you?"

Lycaon shut his eyes, pressing his back to the ground. "I don't know what you're talking about," he repeated weakly.

Kronos snorted. "_Don't _lie to me, Lycaon. I can sense my Mother's blessing anywhere," he growled, "and you still have it. If you had really joined us I would have expected her to remove it, _so why do you still have it_?" He hissed angrily.

Lycaon shifted nervously, avoiding looking at Kronos or Theron. "You know why."

Kronos sighed and crouched down so he was on level with the wolf king. "Yes," he nodded, "but I truly see no need to kill you. Your heart isn't in it, and even I can see that."

"Gaea will kill me," Lycaon said, his voice shaking slightly. Above him, Theron snarled loudly, his jaws snapping together. Lycaon reached up and rested his hand on Theron's nose, concentrating and sending a small burst of energy into the Titan – just enough to force down the Wolf in him. Lycaon kept his eyes on his father as he backed away, shaking his head as if to get rid of a fly. "I was supposed to get Theron into the camp somehow," he said eventually, "Gaea and Porphyrion didn't care how it was done; they just wanted him. They plan to use his blood to raise the Earth Mother to give her extra power, along with the Blood of Olympus, of course." He rose up so he was sitting on the marble floor and spread his hands out flat. "They wanted me to bite him to be able to control him, but I'm not willing to do that. I owe him," Lycaon murmured as he watched Theron shuddering as he transformed back into his mortal form, "he could have killed me so many times before, but he didn't. Now I know why."

Kronos smiled slightly, watching in fascination as the fur covering Theron receded. "He has always been reluctant to kill you." He paused before adding, "You were born in a fit of anger. He went up to the mortal world intending to cause havoc that would irritate the gods, and instead found your mother. I had never seen him so relaxed. Your mother curbed his reckless behaviour… at least until he had to leave. He came back later, as you already know, and posed as a servant in your court a few years until Zeus visited you."

"Then he turned me into… _this_," Lycaon said bitterly as he gestured to himself.

"He turned you into one of the most feared monsters in all existence," Kronos corrected. "One that would easily be able to defend itself, and one that copied the form of his sacred animal, but was stronger, faster, and far more fearsome; he gave you a form that you would be able to _survive _with."

"I gave you the ability to create a new family," Theron added from where he was trying to wave Styx away from him.

Lycaon swallowed, "It's a curse."

Theron frowned, "Like all curses and blessings… that depends on the perspective."

"Will you stop?" Styx hissed as she tried to clean a cut down Theron's neck.

Theron grinned and pulled her towards him, burying his face in the crook of her neck. "You smell amazing," he mumbled. "Like fresh spring water." Styx smiled and ran her hands through his hair, her fingers coming away with traces of golden ichor on them. "Thank you," he muttered.

"What for?" Styx asked softly.

"Not being scared of me."

"I could never be," Styx replied, "not when it comes to you."

Kronos raised an eyebrow at the three beings inside the cell. "So do you want to come out now… or shall I leave all of you in there?"

Theron slowly rose to his feet, Styx still wrapped in his arms. "I'm coming out," he announced.

"Not going to try to bite me again?" Kronos asked with a smirk as he opened the door.

"Nope," Theron grinned, "I only bite Styx."

The river nymph promptly narrowed her eyes and whacked him around the back of the head. "Rude," she hissed.

"Oh, don't pretend you don't like it," Theron said, his grin widening.

"Theron," Kronos sighed, "get out of there."

Theron nodded and quickly strode out, his arm around Styx. Lycaon followed them, his shoulders slumped slightly. Kronos glanced towards Theron, and his eyes flickered over to the wolf king. Theron nodded in acknowledgement and let go of Styx. Kronos cleared his throat and turned to the gods and Titans. "We need to discuss how to win this war."

Zeus nodded, straightening up slightly. "Of course."

The immortals turned to go to the throne room, and Theron stopped Lycaon with a hand on his shoulder. "We need to talk," he murmured.

Lycaon tensed at Theron's touch. "I don't think there's anything left to talk about," he growled, "I was willing to bring you before Porphyrion and allow him to spill your blood to awaken Gaea."

Theron chuckled, "I believe I deserved it for being such a terrible father to you." His tone became more serious as he swallowed nervously. "All I ask is that you give me a chance to explain myself. I don't care what you did, for I would have done the same in your position. I know how persuasive and downright terrifying Gaea can be. You seem to forget that I had to live with her for several millennia in my youth. Believe me when I say I don't blame you."

Lycaon sighed. "Five minutes. If I haven't a sufficient explanation by then I'm leaving and taking my pack with me."

Theron nodded. "Five minutes is all I need." He held his hand out, "Trust me?"

"Not in the slightest," Lycaon said coldly, but he grabbed Theron's hand anyway. The Titan Prince quickly fire travelled them out of the dungeons, the world rushing by in a protective cocoon of green flames.

Lycaon frowned as he looked around the room they reappeared in. "Where are we?"

Theron sat down on the edge of the bed, looking around the room sadly. "The second to top level in my tower. Or, in other words, the floor for my children. This is your room, or at least the one that has been added since your birth."

"But I was born after the Fall," Lycaon murmured.

Theron nodded. "Othrys grows on its own when a new child is born, or when something else is needed. As with my other children, this room was created for you."

Lycaon narrowed his eyes. "Why have you taken me here?"

"I thought you would like to see it," Theron said evenly, not reacting to Lycaon's rising ire. "It is a private area in which we can speak without any unwanted ears listening."

"I'd get started if I were you," Lycaon said coldly, "you're wasting valuable time."

Theron nodded, "You may wish to sit. Depending on what you want to hear this could take a while." Lycaon reluctantly sat down on the floor, opting to stay away from Theron.

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**Next chapter - A New Alliance**

**So the Wolf's going to be a problem until Theron can agree with it. Now the Titans know about Styx, so I can add as many moments as I want :).**

**At the moment Theron's child will be called Krivon. The girl... well I don't have any ideas for her name. But yes, I've decided they're having twins.**

**It's 1 vote to making a prequel and one to making a sequel. I NEED MORE VOTES. I'm stuck on my own (I don't know which one to do).**


	58. A New Alliance

**amazinggalaxy2003: Awesome chapter! I almost choked when I found out out that Lycaon was Theron's son! That was a moment. Theron and Styx flirting is so cute! Also, when I was freaking out about Kronos, it was because I never imagined him protecting Percy like that! Update soon! / Yup, Lycaon's Theron's son. I thought it would be a good addition to the story a while ago and was trying to find a way to get it into the story. I'm not really the best at romance, but I'm trying to make Theron and Styx (Styron) be at least a little memorable, especially since both of them are several billion years old. They've both been in a lot of relationships before, so this needs to be different in some way. Remember Kronos' oath to Sally? He said he'd protect Percy. That's going to come into the story later again, and Kronos isn't one to break oaths.**

**XxXXx Th3 God of Lif3 XxXXx: Love the story man. Hope you got my P.M. Keep up the great work. Sequel. I think Pallas would've made a good name for Theron's son. / I'm gonna answer your reviews together, it just makes it easier. / Yeah, I got your PM (and replied). Hmmm... a sequel. If you're perceptive (very perceptive) you would have noticed a few chapters ago (in the restricted section) I set up the idea for the sequel. Pallas, unfortunately can't be the name of Theron's child, for reasons I'm gonna keep to myself.**

**The Titan of Despair: Love the story man. Hope you got my P.M. Keep up the great work. - You're up there with the best of them. I like that Lycaon was suprisingly Theron's son. - Sequel. I think Pallas would've made a good name for Theron's son. / Firstly, great name ;) Yup, I got your P.M. - Thanks for the compliment. I've been trying to build up the relationship between Theron and Lycaon before I revealed that Lycaon was Theron's kid, and Lycaon won't be accepting straight away. There'll still be quite a lot of amnesty between them. - Unfortunately, Pallas' name can't be used, though it would probably be something that Theron would name his kid, because the sequel I have (sort of) planned out doesn't really allow any lee-way for calling him that.**

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**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO and/or HOO.**

**This story is now my completely priority. I'm stopping my other one until I've finished this one. At the moment I'm expecting to have 61 or 62 chapters in this story (one of which will be just to give it a proper ending (and opening for the sequel!)).**

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**Chapter 58 - A New Alliance**

"Kronos has already told you a lot," Theron started, "but he doesn't know the full picture. He doesn't know how long I had been visiting your mother for before she took it a step further. You look like her," Theron added. "Do you know that? Yes, you have my eyes, but you have her stance. Her way of holding herself – like royalty, actually – and her… well, for lack of a better word, you have her features. She was beautiful," Theron said wistfully, "a stunning mortal, and had a healthy sense of what was right and wrong, for a mortal. If I had been older than I was then I would have turned her immortal-"

"I don't think Styx would have liked that," Lycaon interrupted.

Theron's mouth twitched into a small smile. "Probably not," he agreed, "but she knows I have been with mortals in the past, and am likely to do it again. It is a fact of immortality. Anyway, your mother, as Kronos told you, started to change me. I grew less eager to destroy Olympus, and wished to spend what little time I could with her. It was a few years after we met that you were born, and your step-father was completely unawares, of course. The Ancient Laws prevented me from staying for much longer, and I returned to Tartarus two years after your birth."

Lycaon frowned, his mind racing. "Two years… but the first time I saw you was when you posed as a servant in my palace."

Theron chuckled and shook his head. "No, I was a friend of Pelasgus, for those two years. I stayed in the palace, sometimes advising him on matters. Your step-father was a son of Zeus; you know that, don't you? He was the first demigod child of the sky. I wanted to kill him," Theron murmured, "I craved his death _so _much so I could spite my brother. Then I met your mother, and we eventually had you. I waited. And waited. Pelasgus thought you were his child, despite your golden eyes that marked you as mine, but he couldn't have known that they are my eyes. No, he thought it was a blessing from the gods, a sign that you were smiled upon by them. When I thought you were old enough, I killed Pelasgus."

Lycaon's jaw clenched. "But he died on a hunt, with a party of men! None of them ever returned. They'd been killed by what looked like…" he trailed off, his eyes widening, "a wolf."

Theron nodded slowly. "My sacred animal."

"You killed him," Lycaon breathed, his mind racing, "mother… she knew! She wasn't upset by his death."

Theron nodded. "She knew he had to go. Arcadia was getting nowhere with him as its ruler, and I wished for it to become the greatest city state of Ancient Greece."

Lycaon laughed. "And that worked out well, didn't it? The end of that was forty-nine of my sons slaughtered by Zeus' damned bolt and the other – my youngest – taking the throne."

Theron grimaced. "Admittedly I didn't really expect what happened to you, and I regret it. I turned you into a werewolf so you'd be able to protect yourself."

Lycaon snorted. "Don't lie to me," he hissed.

Theron narrowed his eyes. "I'm not," he growled, "just listen to me, Lycaon. I know what I did was wrong, yes. I know I could have handled it better and _not _turned you into what you are now, but think about it. Yes, you _were_ being hunted by Artemis and her Hunters almost constantly. But you had abilities you couldn't even dream of before. You may think I ruined your life, but did I really?"

"Yes," Lycaon snarled angrily.

"No," Theron said sharply as he stood up, "you're not thinking about it, Lycaon. I'm sorry for turning you into a werewolf, but you're _immortal _now."

"If you truly are my father then I was immortal before you turned me."

"Half-immortal," Theron corrected, "not completely immortal. Now you'll live forever."

"What if I don't want to?" Lycaon demanded, "What if I'm tired of dying and reforming a few years later?"

Theron studied him for several moments. "If it is truly what you wish, then I shall remove the Wolf from you. It will, admittedly, hurt though."

Lycaon swallowed. "You can do that? Why did you only alter it before?"

"I thought you would like to keep the abilities if I took away the downsides," Theron murmured, "but if you wish, I shall remove it completely. You will return to being half-immortal like my other children, and can have a new start," Theron's mouth twitched slightly. "However, there will be a catch. You have to forgive me before I do it."

Lycaon scowled. "You're really desperate, aren't you?"

Theron chuckled, "I am rather eager, yes. I normally try to avoid having favourite children, but if I did, you would be him. I spent many centuries watching you, son, and I saved you from Artemis' Hunters many times. All I ask is that you forgive me for being the worst father in existence."

Lycaon raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure about that," he frowned. Theron sighed, and Lycaon continued with a grin. "I'm pretty sure Kronos or Ouranos could take the title of Worst Father In Existence."

Theron's face broke out into a grin. "So that's a yes?"

Lycaon nodded. "It's a yes."

Theron exhaled in relief. "Oh, good. So is now a good time to tell you that your mother is still alive? And that your mate is?"

Lycaon's jaw dropped. "You're joking, right?"

Theron smirked. "Son, I _never _joke about family." He turned to a door connecting the room to another. "Come out, Meliboea, Alexis."

Lycaon swallowed as his mother entered the room, her skin glowing with the radiance of an immortal. Slightly behind her was a younger girl, one whose eyes glowed a yellow-silver colour and her hair was dark brown. Theron grinned as he watched Lycaon look at the two women, and then the wolf king launched himself across the room to envelop him in a hug. "Thank you, father," he said thickly.

Theron's grin widened in response. "Take all the time you need up here with them. I'll leave you in private for a while; Chaos knows my father will be waiting for me in the throne room."

As he passed Meliboea he pressed a quick kiss to her forehead. Lycaon laughed, "You know Styx will kill you if she hears about that, right?"

Theron chuckled as he turned around. "She will try, especially when she's experiencing her mood swings."

"If at first you don't succeed," the young women murmured, her eyes meeting Lycaon's, "try, try, and try again."

Theron grinned and flashed Lycaon a thumbs up. "I approve, son. Just don't too cosy too soon, please."

Lycaon narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to reply with a comeback, but the Titan Prince was already gone. Lycaon's mate laughed, "I like him," she commented, and Lycaon couldn't stop the huge grin that spread across his face.

* * *

"How did it go?" Kronos asked, interrupting with Atlas was saying as Theron strode into the throne room.

"Well," Theron said calmly, "a lot better than expected, actually. He didn't even try to kill me."

"That is usually a good sign," Oceanus said slightly sarcastically.

Kronos snorted. "Oh, yes. Children not killing you is a _very _good sign."

Theron rolled his eyes as he strode to his throne, growing in height. As he passed Styx he took her hand and led her over to the black marble seat. Kronos sighed, "Son, your throne is _your_ throne. Not both of yours."

Theron shrugged. "Same difference," he grinned, "you all have your consorts on the council – it's only fair if I get mine."

Kronos scowled at him. "Theron, just because it has been revealed that the two of you are consorts does not mean that you can take advantage of it."

"Oh, let him do it," Rhea said, scolding him lightly, "let them have their fun."

"As long as their fun involves all areas still covered by clothes I have no qualms," Koios announced. "But if they are as fast as you two are at unclothing each other I'll be leaving to spare my eyes from the sight."

Theron rolled his eyes, "And would you agree with our dear uncle, nymph?" He asked Styx.

The river nymph smiled, "I am inclined to believe that if we begin that activity _I, _for one, will definitely not be stopping anytime soon."

Theron smirked as he settled back into his throne, Styx sitting across his lap. "So," he said calmly, "what were you all discussing before I came in?"

Atlas huffed. "I was saying that we have the advantage over Gaea's army and should launch a counter-offensive while we still can."

Kronos frowned. "Her army outnumbers ours, so going into open battle will be foolish."

"We have the advantage of skill," Zeus said, "and the quality of the numbers often beats the quantity."

"Perhaps," Kronos nodded, "but even the most skilled warrior in history will be overwhelmed by numbers."

"Father," Theron said, interrupting the rising debate, "remember the Battle of Manhattan?" The gods tensed at the reminder, and Kronos eyed them carefully.

"Yes?" The Titan King asked, "What about it?"

"Fight or Flight tactic," Theron murmured.

Kronos paused, remembering how they sent a reasonably large force towards Williamsburg Bridge and organised to have them flee when enough of their numbers were destroyed. The fleeing group would be absorbed into a new force and the enemy would be run down and slaughtered, or at least, that was how it was supposed to go. "Too many of the army will die," Kronos rumbled, "and if it fails we would have lost our advantage."

"What's the Fight or Flight tactic?" Athena asked.

"Let Jackson explain," Kronos said dismissively, "since he couldn't be clever enough to realise what was happening. Let us hope the Giants are as foolish as him, because otherwise it will be a fool's errand."

Percy's eyebrows furrowed. "I know it?"

Theron snorted. "Williamsburg Bridge, Jackson," he said in amusement.

"Oh," Percy nodded, "right. The Titan army pretended to flee-"

"Oh, their orders were to actually flee," Theron corrected.

"Whatever they did," Percy said. "But Kronos was leading a force and the fleeing monsters were absorbed into it and they charged and we were surrounded by his cavalry. If Seth – or, I guess Theron – hadn't _attacked _Kronos for some weird reason I'm still not entirely sure of, I'd probably have died. Even with the Achilles' Curse and invulnerable skin."

Theron grinned at the irritated looks he received from his brethren, and he shrugged. "Guilty."

"It could work," Oceanus nodded, "we have the numbers needed to do it and Gaea and the Giants won't be expecting that there are any more beings here on the plain."

"Yes," Koios nodded, "but if it fails we will be slaughtered. We are not fighting a group of untrained demigods, brother-"

"Hey!" most of the demigods shouted indignantly.

Koios chuckled. "Merely a fact, I did not mean for it to cause offence."

"Minotaur dung," Theron mumbled into Styx' hair.

She laughed quietly. "Pay attention, Titan."

"We're up for Fight or Flight," Zeus nodded, "as long as this war isn't going on much longer, I'm up for anything."

Kronos nodded. "Then you gods, the demigods, and I shall wait… where, exactly?"

"The Plateau," Theia suggested, "it's easily defended."

"The edges will provide positions for archer support," Themis murmured, "and we can set traps down around the Spire."

Kronos slowly nodded. "That may work," he muttered.

"All for ending the war today, say 'aye'!" Hyperion shouted.

Theron rolled his eyes, but with the rest of the gods and Titans, he said, "Aye."

"Titans," Kronos said, "battle armour on. You all know what to do. Lycaon," he paused as he didn't see the wolf king, "where has he gone?"

Theron tried to not look like it had anything to do with him, but all the gods and Titans turned expectantly to look at him. He frowned, "Since when has everything that happens become my fault?"

Kronos chuckled, "It's not my fault the gods are learning, Theron. You're rarely innocent."

Theron grinned. "He's having some time meeting his mother and mate again. He will be ready by the time the army's up, though. Don't worry about that."

Poseidon nudged Zeus. "Come on, brother," he whispered, "you're not going to get a better time."

Zeus nodded and stood up, looking at Kronos. The Titan raised an eyebrow, but also stood up. Zeus swallowed before walking down the room towards him, and Kronos started doing the same. Both of the immortals were aware of every Titan, god and half-blood watching them as they met beside the marble slab, and Zeus extended his hand out towards Kronos.

"I realise that after this war, we'll have to sort something out for all of you," Zeus announced, his voice echoing around the chamber, "and I suppose your old fortress that now rests upon Mt. Tamalpais should be sufficient enough. I would like it if we could co-exist without trying to kill each other every time we meet. And Theron has always been saying how you're a good father, if we give you a chance – and I want to give you yours."

Kronos studied his youngest son for several moments, before nodding and grasping Zeus' forearm. "We won't attack you," he promised, "and I'm sure we can find a truce of sorts that extends further than this war."

Zeus grinned. "Oh, good, because I'd hate to see Rhea angry at you again."

Kronos chuckled, "She's terrifying, isn't she?"

Zeus nodded in whole-hearted agreement. "Downright terrifying."

"And you're completely soft," Rhea called as she walked towards them, and enclosed Zeus in a hug as soon as she reached them. "I'm proud of you," she murmured.

"As long as you stop him from eating mortals we'll be fine," Zeus said in amusement.

Rhea nodded solemnly, her mouth twitching. "Of course. I'll be keeping him in line, don't worry."

Kronos rolled his eyes. "I'm not that bad," he grumbled.

"Funny," Theron remarked as he came over, his arm around Styx, "this coming from the immortal that succeeded in completely ignoring me for over a decade."

"You stole my scythe!" Kronos exclaimed indignantly.

Theron just grinned and cast a side glance towards Styx. "Welcome to the family, son," Rhea murmured into Zeus' ear, and the sky god realised that yes, the Titans were flawed, but so were the gods. The Titans new each other inside out, apart from a few secrets that they kept, and trusted each other – except Prometheus, apparently no Titan trusted him - the guard their backs.

Theon clapped Zeus on the shoulder as he left, and the god suspected he and Styx weren't going to be down for a while.

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**Next chapter - For the Future of Mortals**

_"Come on, girls," Atlas said as he strode past, "let's go get us some Giant blood!"_

_Theron narrowed his eyes at his cousin as he straightened up. "I am not a girl."_

_Rhea laughed, "Are you sure? You can definitely scream like one sometimes."_

_..._

Fight to the death,_ the wolf snarled._

_"To the death," Theron said in agreement._

For Styx,_ it rumbled._

_"For Styx," Theron murmured._

For Othrys. For Olympus. For mortals._ "For the future of Gaea," Theron finished, and felt something click into place._

**So the gods and the Titans have an actual alliance now. How will this work out? You'll find out in the sequel ;). Next chapter we have the first part of the final fight. And the chapter after will feature Gaea...**

**Prequel: 1**

**Sequel: 2**

**I need more votes, guys!**

**At the moment Theron's child will be called Krivon. The girl... STILL NO NAMES, GUYS! Come on! Anyone who reviews within 2 days will get a special preview sent over P.M.**


	59. For the Future of Mortals

**Heart 'n' Soul 2: Venator means 'Hunter' in latin, if that could be one for the girl... or maybe Callisto, after Lycaon's daughter who was a Hunter of Artemis before Zeus raped her and Artemis turned her into a bear when she found out she was pregnant. / Unfortunately I can't call his daughter Venator, though I would like to. Callisto could work.**

**amazinggalaxy2003: Oh my gods, this was one heck of an awesome chapter! Update, please! As for the girls name, uh, Iannia? Adaris? Akatria? God knows I only took ideas from websites! Oh well? LOL! / Thanks (for the compliment and the names). I don't care if they're from websites, I just care if they're good.**

**Ryaaaaann: a sequel would be great / Probably, because I don't have to stick to the miniscule amount of plot still left.**

**solunareclipse11: Good to see that after this is all over, they won't go back to killing each other. I wonder how the prophecy will play out... / Just wait and see!**

**The Titan of Despair: Keep up the great work. / Thanks.**

**Themostancienthouseoflannister: Hi.. So a girls name huh? How 'bout Marcia? Galen? Oh btw you absolutely shouldn't. Name the boy Pallas as that is a female name and the original Pallas was female and and a friend of athena that is why she (Athena) took the name pallas. btw you could totally name the girl Pallas just not the boy. Oh wait I just remembered there was a male Pallas to right? A son of krios I think.. He was originally. Married to Styx.. Is that why you wouldn't name the boy Pallas? / Firstly, I love the name :). Secondly, I'm not naming the girl or the boy Pallas, and yes it's because of the Titan Pallas who i've mentioned several times in this fanfic. In this fanfic (if I haven't said it already, i've sort of forgotten what i've said and what I haven't) Pallas has faded. I haven't really revealed why yet, but it _is _in the myths (fading isn't, but a death of his is, and i've decided that that certain death caused him to fade).**

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**The reason why Hyperion and Theia hate Theron is in this chapter! Finally I can reveal why!**

**I couldn't resist choosing a song for this chapter when it played on my playlist as I was writing this. So, listen to 'This Is War' by 30 Seconds to Mars. Because it definitely fits this chapter.**

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**Chapter 59 - For the Future of Mortals**

The Titan army was marching down the mountain when Theron and Styx joined them. The Titan immediately made his way to Zeus and pulled him away from the other beings. "Please," he murmured desperately, "promise me she'll be safe. I managed to convince her to stay up here, but she's refusing to take shelter in Othrys."

Zeus glanced at Styx who was standing beside Artemis. "I promise," he nodded, "you can trust me, brother."

Theron swallowed. "Please. I've already lost a child before – before it was born. I'm _not _going to lose another, no matter what it takes."

"What do you mean?" Zeus hissed.

"It's why the rivalry between me and Hyperion is so strong," Theron choked, "I… well, Theia managed to get me into bed with her when I was younger. She found that she was pregnant, and killed the child before it was born. I _can't _have that happen this time."

Zeus clenched his jaw, his eyes narrowing at Theia who was watching them from her position at Hyperion's side. "That-"

"No," Theron said firmly, "it's in the past now. Just… please, brother."

"I swear it on the Creator, brother," Zeus said fiercely, "both Styx and the unborn child _will _make it through this battle."

Theron nodded. "Thank you, Zeus." He paused and added, "You're a good brother. I can only wish I was a better one."

Zeus shook his head. "No, Theron. You were a better son to both of our parents, and you _were _a good brother. You didn't kill us when we escaped form Othrys after Kronos had vomited."

Theron chuckled, "You hit me on the head with your serving platter," he murmured.

Zeus nodded. "And you gave me this before I did that," he said as he shifted the side of his armour, revealing a long scar down his side. "So we're even."

Theron grinned. "We go into this war as enemies, and come back out as brothers," he said as he looked around at the Titans and gods, and nearly all of them were talking to a being in the other pantheon. "As brothers-in-arms."

Zeus smiled. "I never thought it would happen," he admitted as he saw Kronos beside Rhea and talking to Hades.

Theron rolled his eyes. "Oh, trust me. You'll be regretting them having that little talk before long. Kronos is probably suggesting new ways for Hades' punishments in the Underworld, that or outlining the many ways to get a women into bed with you. Because Hades is seriously lacking in that department."

Zeus laughed. "I would never have thought that Kronos was like that."

Theron grinned. "Well, you did have to get your habit for knocking up everything you sea – dead or alive, by the way – from someone, right?" Zeus narrowed his eyes at Theron and the Titan's grin widened. "Also," Theron added, "I've called in reinforcements. If they arrive, tell everyone to not attack them."

The god muttered a few words under his breath about irritating older brothers, but before he could speak Theron felt a hand land on his shoulder. He turned his head to see Kronos looking at him sternly. Theron raised an eyebrow. "Have you shrunk? Again?"

"No, you've grown," Kronos said without missing a beat. "But I'm warning you, son. If you die in this battle, I will personally revive you again, and then cut you into thousands of pieces."

Theron grinned. "I thought it was supposed to be my child that's going to do that."

Kronos shook his head with a sigh. "I'm serious. You can't die in this, son. You have Styx now, and you can't leave her. Also… the Fates have been suspiciously quiet, wouldn't you agree?"

Theron swallowed, feeling his body stiffen. "You think they're planning something."

Kronos shrugged. "I wouldn't put it past him. Remember, son, you have Olympus standing by your side now, and I'm hardly needed. If it comes down to it-"

"No," Theron said sharply, "you're not going to leave Rhea, just like I'm not going to leave Styx. She still needs you, just like I do," he turned completely to face his king, "if it comes down to it, I'll find another way, I promise. If they give me two choices, I'll make another option. If they give me three, I'll change one. If they give four, then I'll scrap them all. I'm _not _going to destroy Othrys or Olympus, and I'll spit in their face to do that if I have to."

Kronos studied Theron for several moments before sighing. "Just _be careful._"

Theron nodded. "I will," he promised. "And I'll take care of mother, don't worry."

Kronos' mouth twitched. "This hasn't been that bad, son. Thank you for going against my order and nearly getting yourself killed."

"Father," Theron said as he held his hand up, "you can punish me all you like when I get back, and I'll happily take any one that you can think of." Kronos chuckled, but his eyes widened when Theron rested his head on his shoulder. "Though, saying that," he murmured, "if I don't make it back, make sure Styx is alright, please?"

Kronos mutely nodded, the words stuck in his throat. Zeus swallowed as he watched, feeling like he was seeing something he shouldn't. Then someone hugged him from behind. "Stay safe, my son," Rhea muttered, "I would hate for you to die now."

"Come on, girls," Atlas said as he strode past, "let's go get us some Giant blood!"

Theron narrowed his eyes at his cousin as he straightened up. "I am _not _a girl."

Rhea laughed, "Are you sure? You can definitely scream like one sometimes."

Theron grinned, not in the mood to feel irritated at their jibe. He knew that out of all of the immortals there, he was the most likely to die on the battlefield that day, but he didn't feel even a little bit terrified. Instead, all he felt was satisfaction as he looked down at the army marching below him, and then back at the immortals behind him. He shut his eyes and summoned his armour and trident to himself, feeling the pieces of metal lock into place on his body. His drakon head helm appeared held in his hand and he put it on as he strode up a piece of rock that jutted out over the rest of the mountain like one massive overhang. He was a sentinel looking over the battlefield, and he saw Gaea's army hurrying to ready themselves as war horns echoed over the Plains of Thessaly.

_Fight to the death, _the wolf snarled.

"To the death," Theron said in agreement.

_For Styx,_ it rumbled.

"For Styx," Theron murmured.

_For Othrys. For Olympus. For mortals. _"For the future of Gaea," Theron finished, and felt something click into place. The wolf which had been fighting him since he had turned in the morning fitted perfectly into Theron's mind, its thoughts running parallel to Theron's. The Titan Prince turned back to look at Kronos and the gods, and Kronos swallowed nervously.

"Theron? Your eyes are red," he pointed out.

"I thought they would be," Theron rumbled as he turned back to look at the army streaking across the plain with the Titans at its head. Theron dug his heels into the earth as he shot forward towards the edge of the overhang. _For Styx. _He launched himself forwards, his bones rotating and fur erupting down his entire body as he willingly shifted into a werewolf for the first time, and jumped off the edge of the overhang.

* * *

Theron's thoughts were racing as he jumped and skidded down the mountain towards the battlefield. He could see Porphyrion smashing aside monsters with ease, and leapt off a small overhang, landing on the battlefield and tearing into a dracaenae with relish. He snarled and a wall of flames erupted in front of him, burning through a group of harpies. His teeth sank into flesh and bone, tearing through blood vessels and organs as he barrelled towards the giant king.

"Mutt!" Porphyrion roared excitedly, "I shall have my revenge on you! Your remains shall be cast into the deepest part of the Void where they shall rot for eternity!"

Theron howled and charged, his claws leaving deep furrows in the earth as he rapidly closed the distance between them. His mind was calm, a very familiar battle calm having descended over his thoughts, and everything was done without thinking. Lunge at a Cyclopes in his way, keep moving. _Sidestep,_ the wolf said, and Theron leapt to the side, a bolt of lightning cracking apart the earth like an eggshell. Theron bounded forward, his hind legs propelling him through the air and onto the back of a drakon. The drakon twisted to snap at the Prince and was promptly set alight by a massive blast of Greek fire, and Theron jumped off its tail. The drakon screech as it vaporised on the spot, and the Greek fire fell like rain over the battlefield. Several small sparks of flame landed on Theron's back, but he didn't feel it.

Porphyrion bellowed and threw his spear towards Theron, the point burying itself in the ground where Theron had been a split second before and forcing dust and debris into the air. Theron snarled as he leapt onto a small boulder, and pushed off it to bury his teeth in Porphyrion's leg. Porphyrion roared in anger and swatted him away, his large hand colliding with Theron's side. Theron growled at the Giant King as the spear shot into his hands, and Porphyrion brandished it in the Prince's direction.

Gleaming white canines snapped shut as Theron barrelled towards his uncle, fire streaming across the ground behind him, and the earth rumbling beneath his feet. Porphyrion swung his spear like a mace towards Theron, the weapon whistling through the air at incredible speeds, and Theron leapt over it, shifting back into his Titan form in mid-air. The Titans' Blade appeared in his hand, his amour enclosing his body in a protective cocoon of metal.

Porphyrion shifted out of the way of the blade point, stabbing down towards Theron with his spear. Theron grinned and rolled to the side, the point of the spear piercing the ground, and grew to twelve feet as he stood back up. Porphyrion narrowed his eyes and readied his spear, looking down at Theron as he did so.

A howl echoed around the battlefield as Lycaon and his pack charged into the monsters, tearing their way into the thick of the fighting. Several hundred yards from Theron and Porphyrion, Clytius was taken down by Iapetus and Hyperion and the demititans immediately surged towards him, a dozen arrows soon sticking out of various body parts. Iapetus then stabbed down with his spear, and Clytius dissolved into a pool of shadows which seeped into the ground and Theron felt his soul enter Tartarus.

Hyperion roared in victory, his sword raised to the sky, and Iapetus shoved him in the back making him stumble before he ran to find another Giant. Theron grinned as he looked up at Porphyrion. "You're losing, Uncle.

Porphyrion scowled down at him. "Your blood is needed, Prince. Else you would already be dead."

Theron grinned and raised the Blade. "Then come get it."

Porphyrion narrowed his eyes. "You're awfully cocky, nephew, for someone who's going to fade today."

"I'll fade when the Fates want me to," Theron retorted, idly swinging the Titans' Blade, "and when that is I don't know."

Porphyrion looked at Theron in amusement. "They haven't told you yet?"

Theron scowled at him. "What?"

Porphyrion boomed in laughter. "Oh, this is priceless!"

"What?" Theron demanded angrily.

Porphyrion crouched down so he was closer to Theron's height. "The Fates haven't bothered to give you your orders."

Theron tensed. "They have no orders for this war. They said so."

"They lied," Porphyrion said bluntly, "they believe it is time for Olympus and Othrys to fall. And for us to rise."

"No," Theron said desperately, but the voices of the Fates said in unison in his head. _'The Giant speaks the truth. You are to help in the rise of Gaea.'_

Theron shut his eyes as he tried to sort through his thoughts. The first one being shock as he lowered his weapon, and then he felt nothing. Absolutely nothing. And anger overtook everything. "Who do you think you are?" He hissed angrily, "To think you can tell me what to do?"

'_You serve us,'_ the Fates replied.

"For no longer," Theron snarled, his body shaking in anger, "I shall no longer be a pawn of Fate."

'_You condemn your King's existence?'_ They asked smoothly.

"If I help Gaea he'll definitely die. If I don't there's a chance he'll survive. I'm choosing to keep him alive," Theron retorted.

Porphyrion laughed. "Then you shall die with them," and he swung his spear, catching Theron in his moment of weakness. The spear slammed into Theron's side, sending him sprawling away across the ground. The Titan had felt his armour buckle and break under the force of the hit, and a shard of metal was piercing his side. Warm ichor trickled down his body, and Theron concentrated on stopping it from dropping onto the earth beneath him. The earth shook as Porphyrion lumbered towards him, and Theron clearly heard the call to retreat – two short, sharp blows of the war horn.

Porphyrion stopped advancing towards Theron's prone form, and looked towards where the remainder of the Titan Army was pulling back. He immediately shouted for Gaea's army to follow, and kicked Theron savagely as he passed. Theron was kicked into the boulder he'd jumped onto only a few minutes previously, and collapsed down into the mud, landing on his stomach. His armour had bent from the force of the kick, and his collision with the boulder had smashed the back of his armour into his back. The pressure had likely cracked several of his ribs, and he could feel the crushed parts of his armour grating against each other as he tried to move. He managed to lift his helmet off and toss it to the ground, and then struggled into a sitting position, and when he did he cursed. His ichor had pooled on the ground beneath him, he heard Porphyrion roaring in triumph, and the earth rumbled at his feet as it glowed faintly. The blood of the immortals was absorbed into the earth, and the last thing Theron saw was a black haze over the horizon and the roar of the reinforcements he had called in as Gaea rose out of the ground, a giant earthen figure that easily matched Porphyrion's sixty feet, and then Theron slipped into unconsciousness.

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**Next chapter - For the Future of Gaea**

**A short wait for this chapter - you're welcome :). I've written about 1700 words in the next chapter already, and i'm not doing much this week (because it's the summer holidays! YAY! No school!), so it should be out in maybe four to five days. It could be out on saturday if I'm lucky with how much free time I have.**

**Question: What does 'Theron' actually mean? (Hint: Greek version of the name.)**

**Girl:  
****Iannia  
****Adaris  
****Akatria  
Alianna (one I thought of)  
Callisto**

**Five options! Start voting. You all only have about three more chapters to choose!**

**Boy:  
Krivon**

**Sequel: 3**

**Prequel: 1**


	60. For the Future of Gaea

**The Titan of Despair: TheronHunter / Yup.**

**amazinggalaxy2003: The action was awesome. I kept thinking how the heck do you do this! This is awesome! In Greek, Theron means 'hunter or untamable. Sorry, couldn't help it. I googled it anyway. / Thanks, I try to make it as good as I can, but sometimes I'm not exactly pleased with it. I do this with a lot of work :p, and sometimes I have a few days (or even several weeks) where I get a horrible writer's block, but that's not happening at the moment. I know exactly what's going to happen til the end of this story. I also know what's going to happen in the opening of the next one.**

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**For those of you that answered the question in the last chapter, why do you think Kronos and Rhea named him that?**

**Listen to the theme of Jurassic Park for this chapter. (Seriously, just do it… please?). Also... you might want some really sad and depressing music ready...**

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**Chapter 60 - For the Future of Gaea**

The gods, demigods, and Kronos were all in position on the Plateau only minutes after the army left. All the traps were set around the Spire, and every being was waiting for when Gaea's army would enter the Plateau. Kronos had taken up a position on the top of the Spire where he could see the battlefield and the path up.

"Can you see anything?" Hestia called up.

"I can see a lot of things," Kronos smirked.

"Rhea? Theron?" Hestia said as she rolled her eyes, "Is anyone down yet?"

"A lot of the monsters are, but we had the element of surprise… well, sort of. Theron's… oh that idiot," he grumbled as he spotted his son who was charging straight towards Porphyrion.

"What's happening?" Zeus demanded.

"Theron's heading to fight Porphyrion," Kronos shouted down, and Zeus muttered a quiet prayer under his breath. "And Rhea's battling Alyconeus with Krios."

"Kronos?" Hades asked carefully, and when Kronos turned to him he continued. "Do we have a chance?"

Kronos frowned. "If this works? Yes, we do, but if one thing goes wrong we're likely to fall," he admitted. Then seeing the various dejected expressions of the gods and demigods he smirked, "Though considering that we've all been waiting for this for a long time that's highly unlikely. We have a lot of pent up anger and frustration from millennia of being stuck in Tartarus. I'm surprised Theron hasn't killed Theia or Hyperion yet."

The sound of a horn cut through their voices, and Kronos looked back down the mountain to see the back of their army turn and scramble up the mountain path. Many of the Titans were limping as they pulled back, and there were piles of golden dust left where monsters had been killed. Bodies of half-bloods – traitors and demititans – were left behind and trampled as Gaea's army followed in savage glee. Kronos scanned the battlefield as he saw Porphyrion lumbering towards them after the army, and his blood ran cold.

"Kronos?" Poseidon asked worriedly, "What's happened?"

"I don't see Theron," the King replied.

"Maybe he's just fallen behind?" Poseidon asked hopefully.

"No," Kronos said, "that's not it. Porphyrion's still alive, and he wouldn't have left Theron unless he was-"

"_Don't _say dead," Hestia hissed. "He's not dead."

Kronos nodded, his eyes turning frigid. "If course not. He's Theron."

Lelantos shot up over the edge of the mountain side, his bronze wings gleaming in the setting sun, and hung in front of the immortals for several seconds before dropping down in front of them. "Lelantos," Kronos said hurriedly as he jumped down from the Spire, "did you see Theron on your way up?"

Lelantos' eyes widened. "Something happened to Theron?" He exclaimed worriedly.

"I'm assuming you don't know where he is?" Kronos asked.

"Where who is?" Rhea's voice called as she appeared over the small rise.

Kronos' voice twitched as he saw her. The stains of golden ichor on her black leather armour, her fierce helmet in the shape of a lion's head, and the way she carried herself along with the caring expression on her face reminded Kronos of why he had felt himself drawn to her all those billion years ago. "You look ravishing, my dear."

Rhea raised an eyebrow at him, her emerald eyes shining in amusement. "Surely we can do this later, My Lord? We have a war to fight."

Iapetus snickered as Kronos shook his head. "You're completely and utterly whipped, brother."

Kronos glared at him. "Not the time, brother."

"It's not the time for staring at me either," Rhea added. "Who are you trying to find?"

"Theron hasn't come up," Kronos said as he turned to watch the stragglers make it over the rise. "Did you see him?"

Rhea shook her head, instantly feeling worried for her eldest child. "No. I haven't seen him since we were last here."

Kronos shut his eyes. "Then we must hope he-" He spun around as he heard a sudden cry of pain, and his eyes widened as he saw Percy had a gash across his stomach. The demigod's blood dropped down and landed on the ground where it shimmered gold before being absorbed, and the earth rumbled beneath their feet as Gaea's army appeared on the top of the Plateau and immediately charged, bellowing like banshees.

"Blood of Olympus," Kronos breathed as he watched the blood pool at Percy's feet, and then he clenched his jaw. _"I will do my best, Sally," _he remembered were his exact words to his grandson's mother – and who was technically his daughter because she had Poseidon's child – and he'd done excellently at that. He growled and started hacking his way through the monsters separating him from his annoying grandson and his girlfriend. It didn't take him long to reach them, and he easily picked Percy up as Annabeth stabbed a dracaenae through the heart and turned to decapitate an empousa. Mortal blood dropped down Kronos' golden armour as he made his way through the army to the relative safety of the inside of Othrys, and several children of Apollo ran over.

Percy groan as Kronos carefully leaned him against the wall. "Why are you doing this?" He asked weakly, his head already dizzy from the lack of blood.

Kronos sent a pulse of energy through Percy before answering. "I promised your mother you'd return, and I never break promises."

"You know my mom?" Was Percy's confused reply.

Kronos chuckled and shook his head. "Only her mind. I'll tell you after the battle."

"If I'm still alive," Percy slurred.

"Oh, you'll still be alive," Will Solace assured, "I wouldn't worry about that. And, Kronos, get back to the fighting," he said with a quick glance up, "you're definitely needed out there."

Kronos raised an eyebrow at the demigod's blatant disrespect as he stood up, passing a worried demigoddess on the way back to the battle.

Outside, the earth rumbled and shook beneath their feet, and an unearthly scream echoed around as the earth rose up on the Plains of Thessaly into the form of a sixty foot woman. Gaea looked puny compared to the mountain and Kronos smirked as he watched, and then he saw her stop and look down. He quickly realised why – there was only one being that hadn't made it up to the mountain, and that was Theron.

Then on the horizon Kronos saw a creature appear, and there was a chorus of screeches as birdlike creatures shot towards the mountain. Over the fighting he heard Zeus yell, "Don't shoot them! They're on our side!"

Kronos wondered how Zeus knew, and then remembered that he'd been talking to Theron before the battle, and as he watched the flock of creatures approach through the air he recognised them, and his jaw dropped. He quickly shouted, "No one fire at them!"

The creatures shot over the mountain, swooping down on monsters and picking them up, but avoiding the Titans, gods, and their armies. Kronos looked down at the Plain below him and saw more creatures streaking across the ground as Gaea was distracted by the birds. A group of them stopped beside where Kronos knew Theron to be, and one of the larger ones carefully picked up the Prince before making its way towards the mountain.

Beside Kronos, Iapetus' voice said, "How is this happening? They should all be dead!"

Kronos shook his head, "I don't know," he murmured as he watched the velociraptors, tyrannosauruses, and dozens of other species of dinosaurs making their way towards the mountain. Above them, the pterodactyls still swooped down to take monsters up into the air in their claws. Kronos hefted his scythe and turned to find Porphyrion.

The giant king was fighting Zeus and Rhea, and the two immortals were easily holding their own, but so was Porphyrion. At least he was until Kronos joined the fight. Kronos stood at the same height as Rhea, and a foot taller than Zeus as he hacked into the back of Porphyrion's leg and twisted around the giant to stop besides the two immortals.

Porphyrion fell to one knee and glared at Kronos. "You'll fall," he promised, "it's the will of the Fates."

Kronos swore under his breath and his eyes narrowed at his half-brother. "You-"

Porphyrion laughed. "Your son defied their will, and now he is dead. And with his defiance your fading will soon come." The giant king smirked, "You'll fade, Kronos, and Othrys will fall apart."

"Not in the next ten billion years," Kronos said coldly and sent a blast of energy towards the downed giant, but Porphyrion laughed as the ground erupted in front of him to form a barrier. "Still hiding behind mother?" Kronos asked mockingly.

Rhea narrowed her eyes at Porphyrion, "You will pay, spawn of Tartarus," she said furiously, "no one kills my family."

The ground shook as the first tyrannosaurus made it over the rise, and Kronos' eyes widened when he saw Theron standing on its head. The Prince was wearing no armour and was splattered in ichor that was still drying, and Kronos knew it was his, but there was no evidence of an injury as Theron sent a blast of fire towards the giant king and jumped off the dinosaur's head to shoot through the air and land in a roll beside Zeus.

Porphyrion's eyes widened. "How is this possible?" He demanded, "You were dead!"

Theron smirked, "Well, yes. But it seems Tartarus had no wish to see me again, and so he barred my entrance to the Pit, and I had a visit from Thalassa. And then Chaos."

Porphyrion faltered. "Chaos?" He asked worriedly.

Theron cast a glance towards Kronos. "Yes, and it promised that Kronos wouldn't be fading anytime soon. Apparently, he's still needed."

Kronos looked triumphantly at Porphyrion. "It seems we're going to win this, brother."

Porphyrion roared and sent a blast of electricity towards Kronos, but Zeus redirected it into the ground which rumbled violently, almost knocking all of them to the floor. The giant lunged towards Kronos with his spear, and Kronos spun to the side, knocking away the point with the shaft of his scythe and changing the weapon into Backbiter to slash up. The edge of the blade cut into Porphyrion's hand and electricity sparked out to slam into Kronos, sending him flying back. Rhea, Zeus, and Theron closed in on the giant as a pterodactyl caught Kronos in mid-air.

Around the battlefield the giants were falling one by one. Ephialtes, one of the banes of Dionysus, had been defeated by Dionysus, Mnemosyne, Menoetius and Epimetheus. Gration, the bane of Artemis and Apollo, was in the process of being riddled by arrows from Artemis, Apollo, Leto and Lelantos. Periboia the bane of Aphrodite had been killed by Aphrodite, Theia, Themis, and Phoebe, and Piper McLean who had stabbed her to finish her off.

Theron lunged towards Porphyrion, the Titans Blade gleaming at the prospect of giant ichor, and the giant shifted his weight back before swinging his spear down towards the Titan. Zeus shot through the gap in Porphyrion's guard and stabbed the giant in the shin, feeling his master bolt hum in his grip. Theron dived to the ground to avoid the golden spear point, and rolled back up to hack into Porphyrion's foot. Porphyrion roared in pain and anger as ichor rolled down his leg, and the earth rose up to heal him.

Theron cursed. "We have to get him into the air," he murmured to Zeus.

The god of the Sky nodded. "But how?"

Theron grinned. "Think you can keep him occupied and get a half-blood over here?"

Zeus raised an eyebrow. "Am I going to like what you're planning?"

"Father won't," Theron replied. Zeus sighed and shook his head, but turned to run at Porphyrion, so Theron took his answer as a 'yes'. Theron turned to the edge of the Plateau and dived off the mountain. He concentrated, imagining his body changing shape and becoming scaled, on wings emerging from his shoulder blades, and his form changed into one of an elder dragon. Theron flared his wings out and shot back up in a loop, passing over the mountain side, his shadow covering everything on the Plateau, and his talons dug into the giant king, lifting him up off the ground. Porphyrion roared in frustration and struggled to force Theron to release him, but Theron shot up into the Sky, his wings straining against the extra weight.

Thunder rumbled and lightning flickered across the sky, and Theron shot straight into the storm clouds. He knew if he was up there then Zeus would be able to sense them, and he'd be able to attack. Theron's ribs were still incredibly painful and he could feel them shifting around in his chest cavity, but he kept going up, even as ice grew on his scales and his limbs turned numb. Porphyrion was held tightly in his claws and constantly struggling to get free. Theron idly wondered if from this height the giant would die from impact with the earth, or if his mother would be able to stop his bones from being crushed and splintered.

Then lightning flashed and briefly illuminated them, and immediately after another bolt crashed into Porphyrion's dangling scaled legs. The giant had been too focused on getting Theron to release him than protecting himself from the lightning, and the scales had been blackened from the energy in the bolt. Theron repositioned his claws to get a firmer hold on Porphyrion, and sent a small blast of greek fire from his mouth that lit up the sky. A few seconds later lightning flashed all around them, and Theron knew Zeus had figured out what his plan was, though he didn't seem very pleased by it if the way Theron was almost hit by several bolts meant anything.

Lightning struck the two immortals repeatedly, lighting up the sky in a myriad of bright flashes, and Theron struggled to keep it from harming him as his wings flared out, keeping them in place. Porphyrion roared in anger and pain beneath him as he was hit repeatedly, and then after several minutes the flashes stopped. Theron tasted aluminium foil as his tucked in his wings and suddenly dropped like a very large and scaly stone. He shot down through the storm clouds to see Gaea screeching and screaming as he tried to swat away a dozen or so immortals, and Zeus was waiting for Theron with dozens of half-blood archers. Porphyrion seemed to realise what was going to happen and hefted his spear which he'd somehow managed to keep hold of, and he jabbed it up into the base of Theron's neck, the golden point tearing straight through his scales.

Theron let out a loud roar of pain and instinctively let go of the giant, allowing the son of Gaea to fall towards the ground. On the mountain below, Zeus raised his arms up and lightning crashed onto Porphyrion as the giant dropped through the air, and the half-bloods raised their bows. Theron let out a roar and dived towards Porphyrion, stretching his talons out to gauge a line into the giant's side. Ichor cascaded onto the mountain still a thousand or so yards below, and Theron rolled to the side to circle around the spires of Othrys and watch Porphyrion be killed.

As soon as the giant king was within range the archers fired. Barely an inch of skin or scale that was exposed wasn't pierced by an arrow, and Porphyrion shouted out in shock and slight fear as his body crumbled to dust in its freefall. The dust floated down like golden snow as the setting sun reflected off it, and the half-bloods let out a loud yell of triumph that echoed down the mountain to where Gaea was fighting her sons and some of the gods.

Theron carefully circled down to land, his form changing into his mortal one in the process, and he stayed on all fours. His chest felt like someone – probably Gaea or another immortal that enjoyed watching him suffer – was stabbing him repeatedly with burning hot Stygian iron rods, and when he breathed the pain intensified. Ichor was dripping down the side of his neck from the stab wound Porphyrion had inflicted when he was flying, and it was pooling on the floor below him. Theron fisted his hands as he tried to concentrate on something other than the burning pain in his chest, the overwhelming fire burning uncontrolled through his chest.

Then someone was beside him, a tentative hand on his shoulder. "Theron? Are you alright?" Theron tried to shift so he could stand and not look weak in front of the half-bloods that were crowding around, but he quickly stopped when the pain intensified, and a quiet hiss escaped his mouth.

"Theron?" The voice repeated, and Theron dimly remembered whose voice that was. "Brother? Come on, answer me. If you die Kronos will have my head," Zeus said worriedly.

Theron grimaced. "I – m'fine."

Zeus let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, good. You're not dead."

Theron felt the burning in his chest move up his throat into his mouth, and he retched as ichor forced it's was out of his throat. His arm buckled beneath him and Zeus moved quickly, helping him to sit up. Theron's vision was slowly diming on the edges as Zeus steadied him. The god cursed under his breath. "Theron, where are you injured?"

Theron struggled to breathe, finding that he could barely get enough oxygen into his lungs, and he silently thanked his father for forcing him to learn the symptoms of any injury he could receive when he was younger. The fact that he was coughing up ichor let him know he'd pierced a lung that was rapidly filling up – which led to his trouble breathing – and he was certain that he shouldn't be feeling his broken ribs shift in his chest cavity. "Lungs," Theron croaked, trying to ignore the burning in his throat.

"Yes," Zeus said irritably, "I kind of guessed that. You're throwing up ichor, brother – that's an obvious sign of a pierced rib." At least Zeus knew the main problem, Theron thought. "Jason," Zeus said urgently, "find me Apollo." Great, the Roman was there to witness Theron's humiliation. "The rest of you help finish off the giants."

Theron grimaced as more ichor forced its way out of his body via his mouth. "Hel' me up," he ordered.

Zeus raised an eyebrow. "Uh, no. You're not gonna be going back into the battle, Theron. You'll definitely die if you do."

"Styx nee's me," Theron retorted as he tried to rise, but Zeus stopped him with one arm.

"She needs you _alive _more, brother," he grumbled, "so stop trying to kill yourself. Because I really don't want to see father's reaction if you die."

"You jealous?" Theron mumbled. It was becoming a struggle to string the words together now, and even though he knew Zeus was right he didn't want to admit it. His pride wouldn't let him. But, even so, Zeus' answer surprised him.

"Yes," the god murmured. "Theron, both our parents would be devastated if you died, and that's more than I can say for the six of us."

Theron didn't even have to think (which was good, because he didn't think he'd be able to if he even wanted) to understand who those six were. "Lies," he mumbled, "s'all lies. Mother loves you more than me. She thinks I'm too alike to father."

Zeus frowned, but he knew what Theron was talking about. The two Titans were so similar it was hard to tell them apart at times, even for Zeus who'd stayed in Othrys for a long time when he was posing as Kronos' cup-bearer. He'd often found himself confusing the two, which led to him treading carefully around the Prince.

"What's happened here?" Apollo asked as he ran over, but then he saw Theron, and his eyes widened. "Oh. You know, I'm starting to think you're the most accident prone immortal ever born."

"It's his flaw," a smooth voice said, and Zeus spun around, pointing his master bolt at the intruder. "Put that down, grandson." The man said. "You won't be able to harm me anyway."

Zeus faltered. "Grandson? But that means… you're-"

"Ouranos?" The man interrupted, "Yes."

Zeus narrowed his eyes and took an obviously protective stance in front of Theron. "What do you want?" He demanded.

"Gaea tricked me," the man murmured. "I wasn't aware that she had been behind my killing, and she promised me vengeance."

"What do you want," Zeus repeated, his voice an angry hiss.

"Speak quickly, else my arrow will bury itself in your throat," Apollo snapped, holding his bow aimed at the Primordial's said body part. Below them Gaea shouted as Hyperion managed to get close enough to hack at the back of her knee, but the Titan quickly found himself blasted away by several rocks which detached from the earth goddess' body.

Ouranos' frowned as lightning flickered in his eyes, and Zeus noted that he had an actual body this time, and it wasn't just formed from air. "I'm here for Theron," he admitted.

Zeus' master bolt started powering up. "If you think we're just going to let you-"

"This is not an option, Zeus," Ouranos growled. "He has disobeyed the Fates. The penalty for breaking an oath on the Lord Chaos is fading."

Zeus' blood ran cold. "No," he breathed.

"This is not my actual form," Ouranos continued calmly. "My actual consciousness rests in the stars with the fallen. With the faded. With the constellations. Theron shall join me there, and Lord Chaos has allowed me to escort him."

"But…" Zeus trailed off helplessly as he looked behind him to see Theron's form flicker. The Titan had fallen backwards as they'd been speaking, and he now lay on his back looking up at the night sky above them. Ichor was still trickling out of his mouth, and his eyes were glazed over. Apollo immediately rushed to his side.

"Did you not hear me?" Ouranos demanded, "His time has come. There is nothing you can do for him now. The Fates have pulled their strings, but Lord Chaos has assured me that Kronos shall be safe from them. Theron, however, has no chance."

Zeus shut his eyes. "There's really no way to stop it?"

He felt Ouranos shake his head. "Unfortunately, no." The Primordial hesitated, "Zeus, you must ask Kronos about Dyfarniad Ffawd yn."

"What?" Zeus asked.

"It is _vital_ that you know. It is an old tale amongst Othrys," Ouranos said. "Also, when you see my son, tell him that I apologise for all that I have ever done to him, and know that he will never forgive me, but I still hope he will." He floated _through_ Zeus to hover above Theron. "Now, grandson." He said, which was kind of pointless because Theron was almost unconscious and everything felt like they were talking through a tunnel at him – a very long tunnel. "Take my hand, and we'll be off."

Apollo narrowed his eyes. "I can still-"

"Don't. Apollo," Zeus murmured, "if his time's come... there's nothing we can do."

"But he's-"

"No," Zeus repeated, firmer this time. "Leave it. He... deserves this. He deserves a rest."

"A rest?" Apollo asked.

Zeus nodded. "Yes. A rest. That's all it is. Because we'll see him again."

Apollo nodded slightly and backed away from Theron and Ouranos. "Right. If course we will."

Ouranos was still hovering above Theron and looking rather frustrated by the Prince. "Take my damned hand, grandson," he grumbled. Zeus was about to point out that Theron couldn't seem to move, when Theron's form shimmered again, and started dissolving. It all happened at once – Theron became transparent so they could see the ichor stained ground beneath him, and his body blurred, becoming unrecognisable before dissolving on the spot. The only thing that was left was a shimmering figure floating above where Theron's body had been, two glowing gold orbs where his eyes would be, and then he glided forward and took Ouranos' outstretched hand.

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**Next chapter - [no name yet]**

**BOOM (prepares herself (yes, herself) for lots of reviews saying about how horrible a writer I am for killing off (or fading off :p) the main character. (Ha, it's like Allegiant.))**

**Who was expecting that? I'd guess none of you. Honestly, though, it was gonna happen, what with how accident prone Theron has been in this story. I'll admit, when I started this story I had honorable intentions for him to survive this, but it makes more sense this way. His luck's finally run out. This also makes his relationship with Styx like the saddest love story _ever._ Though... of course, there's still his kids. And that's whose viewpoint the next story's going to in. Though, if you're _really really _clever you might be able to figure out what the sequel's about. (Hint: I revealed the idea first in the chapter 'Giant Hunter'.)**

**Though I recently watched Jurassic World and couldn't resist putting the dinosaurs in the story, so here they are.**

**Theron's kids:**

**Girl:**  
**Iannia  
Adaris  
Akatria  
Alianna (one I thought of)  
Callisto**

**You only have two or three more chapters to vote guys! I HAVE NO VOTES YET! This is getting desperate now.**

**Boy:**  
**Krivon**

**It should be really obvious now, but I'm gonna do the sequel first! Prequel after that. Then possibly the AU, but there's still going to be at least another year of 'The Lost Son' still to come, so don't worry about losing Kronos, Theron, Zeus, and the others, because I can guarantee they're still gonna be around for a while to come.**


	61. To Storm or Fire

**Heart 'n' Soul 2: My main vote would be for Callisto - but since I suggested that one myself it would be baised... So my second vote would be Akatria. / Thanks for being the first voter.**

**The Titan of Despair: Heart Wrenching Chapter. Poor, Theron. I wonder how Styx is going to take it. Nice Chapter, BTW. / *cackles evilly* You'll have to wait and see. It's in this chapter.**

**amazinggalaxy2003: No! Why did you have to make the main character fade! Poor Styx! His poor children! Why!? / Everything has a reason, my friend. Absolutely everything.**

**Guest: For the girl name, I vote for Akatria. Great story! / Thanks for the vote.**

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**No reviews saying I'm a horrible person... haha I was expecting at least one...**

**I wrote this chapter at high speed for all of you, and I'm honestly quite pleased with how it turned out.**

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**Chapter 61 - To Storm or Fire**

Zeus and Apollo stayed where they were for several minutes, just staring at the place where Theron had been, but the only evidence of his presence was StormWraith lying forgotten on the ground. Apollo swallowed nervously, "So do we tell them?"

"We can't distract them from Gaea," Zeus murmured reluctantly. "That could be the end of the world."

"So we're not telling them?" Apollo asked warily, "Won't Kronos be pissed if we don't tell him?"

"He'll understand," Zeus sighed as he turned away and strode to the edge of the mountain. Apollo followed him. Zeus watched as Kronos darted towards Gaea swinging his scythe, and then suddenly pulled away and dived to the side, and Iapetus moved into the opening created and thrust his spear into the back of Gaea's knee. The Primordial screeched as she fell to one knee, but before the immortals swarming her could take advantage of her weakness they were blasted back to the earth around them.

"We need to get her in the air," Zeus muttered, "like Theron did with Porphyrion." He was slightly surprised that saying Theron's name didn't make him feel sad, and then realised that it didn't yet feel like his brother was gone. He hadn't known Theron well enough for it to hit him yet.

Apollo nodded, deciding not to comment on Zeus' sudden silence. "The elder dragons… Ator, wasn't it? His siblings. They could do it, right?"

Zeus slowly nodded and frowned, scanning the Plains for the dragons. "I don't see them."

Apollo let out a loud whistle that echoed around, bouncing off the Black Fortress behind them. There was silence apart from the battle below them, and then the air seemed to vibrate around them. Apollo spun around to see Ator diving towards them, his six siblings flanking him with three on each side. "This could actually work," he murmured as he watched the dragons hover in the air.

Fire rippled from Ator's snout as he looked at the two gods, and Zeus felt a tentative presence invade his mind. _"Yes, blood of my blood?"_

"We need your help to get Gaea off the ground," Zeus called, trying to ignore the fact that the elder dragon was connected with his mind. "Can you help us?"

Ator turned and snorted at his six siblings and they all shot down the mountain, but he stayed where he was. _"Ride." _He said, lowering himself down slightly. Zeus shot up onto the base of Ator's neck as Apollo flashed off the mountain, and Ator dived down the side of Othrys.

Gaea had the advantage of being big, but she couldn't move very fast. Zeus frowned as he studied her, trying to find a weak point. The earth warrior that she was looked to be impenetrable, but the stab wound from Iapetus on the back of her knee was still there, and seemed to have smashed through a shell of earth. Zeus' eyes widened, "Of course," he murmured, "it's a shell."

The earth was surrounding Gaea in a protective shell, and they had to get through it to even reach Gaea. _"Crack the egg," _Ator snorted. _"We get the goddess."_

Zeus nodded. "Get the goddess," he agreed.

_"Revenge on Father," _the dragon snarled as he broke into a dive with his six siblings. The seven elder dragons buried their talons into the earth surrounding Gaea, and shot back into the air with a flailing Primordial goddess.

"_DAMNED DRAGONS!" _Gaea screeched as they carried her up through the clouds. _"LET ME GO THIS INSTANT!"_

Ator had his two hind paws attached to Gaea's head, which Zeus thought was very satisfying to see as they flew up. He could feel each strained beat of the dragons' wings as they lifted the goddess from her domain, and Zeus raised his hands. Lightning flickered in the clouds, and Zeus felt a power stronger than his. He quickly realised it was part of Ouranos' essence above them, and the sky god sent dozens of bolts towards Gaea. The lightning smashed into the shell of earth, blackening and weakening it. Zeus sent most of the strikes towards the small gap in the back of Gaea's knee, and cracks spread out from the hole like spider webs. One of the elder dragons buried its teeth in Gaea's earthen torso, cracking it like an egg under the force of the massive jaw.

_"Last yellow-pain-strike," _Ator said in Zeus' head, and the gods obliged. A massive blast of lightning infused with the power of Zeus and Ouranos struck Gaea head-on, and the protective shell fell away from the Primordial. The seven dragons immediately shot in different directions before the frustrated goddess could strike them down, and Zeus dived off Ator's back to land in a roll beside Kronos.

"Clever," Kronos commented as he watched Gaea fall towards the ground.

Zeus shrugged, feeling a lot of guilt rise up in him. "I copied Theron," he murmured, and if Kronos heard Zeus' voice crack slightly on the last word he didn't comment.

"When she comes back down we're going to blast her to the Void and back!" Kronos roared as he raised his scythe. A cheer went up from the immortals and half-bloods, but Zeus didn't join in - they wouldn't be cheering for long.

Gaea landed with a loud thud that shook the earth, and Zeus finally set eyes upon the Primordial who'd started another war. She had long black hair that was slightly curly, and crazed emerald eyes that glinted with an insane light. She was wearing Greek armour and a scimitar was already in her hand as she glared at Zeus. _"Fool," _she murmured, her voice sending vibrations through the earth.

"Mother," Kronos acknowledged.

"We're not the ones that decided to attack a group of _very _irritated immortals down in Tartarus and bring them into a war they originally had no part in," Koios growled. "We were content with staying in Tartarus until you disrupted the peace."

Gaea raised an eyebrow. _"What peace? What I've done has revived Othrys from the depths of Tartarus, and I see no fault in that. If it weren't for this war you'd still all be lounging around in the Pit with nothing to do. And that blasted son of yours, Kronos, would be leading you on a merry chase as he tried to stop you from getting revenge on Olympus. You should thank me. With luck he's dead or faded."_

Zeus clenched his jaw. "If one more word comes out of your mouth about my brother like that I'll-"

_"Kill me?"_ Gaea guessed, her mouth twisting into a savage smile. _"Try your luck, _grandson_," _she said coldly, _"see if you can even _touch_ me."_

"He won't be able to before I do," Kronos said harshly. "He gave you the warning, and I'll follow through with the threat."

_"Trust me, son,"_ Gaea said in amusement, "_you don't want to do that."_

Kronos' hand clenched around the shaft of his scythe. "I do. Maybe I didn't before, even after getting our army to march. But now? Now you're already dead."

Gaea raised her scimitar, the blade reflecting the moonlight, and she lunged towards Kronos. The King rolled to the side, his eyes narrowing as his scythe changed into Backbiter. The other immortals either attacked or hung back for an opening, and all the half-bloods were forming a loose ring around them. Oddly, there wasn't a single monster in sight. Gaea blocked Zeus' spear and easily blasted the other immortals away.

Zeus glared at her as he drew back and twisted to bring the spear slamming into Gaea's side, but the goddess had disappeared. Zeus hurriedly turned and parried away her attempted attack on his side, and he changed his spear into a sword with a quick thought. "I'll kill you!" He shouted angrily as he launched himself towards her, and she seemed startled by his sudden savagery.

Gaea blocked the blade and laughed. "You seem rather more angered than the others. Why, exactly, is that?"

Zeus gripped the sword in two hands so he'd have more power behind his attacks. His only thought now was getting revenge for Theron, and he jumped towards the Primordial goddess. He brought the sword down in an attack that would have cleaved the goddess' arm from her body, but she merely twisted to the side, laughing as she did so.

Then Kronos was there again and lunging towards her back, but a spike of earth rose out of the ground in his path, and Zeus blasted lightning at her point blank. The hit connected and the goddess was sent flying back, straight towards Apollo. The god shouted as he sent a massive stream of fire and arrows towards the Primordial, and Kronos raised an eyebrow.

When the smoke and arrows cleared Gaea was on one knee and giving Apollo a royal glare. _"You're all FOOLS!" _The ground erupted around them, tendrils of mud, rock, and earth stretching to keep the immortals firmly in the same place. Zeus tried to summon lightning, but the roots holding him on the ground tightened and he was forced to stop.

Gaea laughed. _"All of you are helpless! THIS is real power!"_

Several of the demigods laughed, and Zeus heard Scott's voice shout, "Well, let us know if true power wants a magazine or something!"

Gaea's eyes narrowed dangerously and she turned to face Scott, but before she could do anything a blast of golden energy hit her in the back, and she growled as she spun around to glare at Kronos. She moved quickly and held the blade of her scimitar under Kronos' chin, the point pricking his neck. _"You," _she hissed, "_are testing my patience." _She lifted the point of her blade slightly, and Kronos lifted his chin to stop it from being cut, but in doing so he bared his neck. _"It would be so _easy_ to kill you now, my son. One flick of the wrist and your throat could be cut. But," _she lowered the blade, _"I'm not an unreasonable being. You surrender, and you'll live. Don't and you die. It's a simple choice."_

"That it is," Kronos breathed, his eyes hardening. "You'll have to kill me."

Gaea frowned. _"You're sure you wouldn't rather-" _Two demigods dropped out of the sky.

"Heads up!" Percy shouted as a hurricane formed around Gaea and started to lift her up. Beside Percy, Jason grinned.

"Hey, Gaea. Did you miss us?" The son of Jupiter called.

Gaea cursed at the two demigods in the old tongue and tried to retreat back to her domain, but the hurricane kept her in the air. "To storm or fire the world shall fall," Percy grinned. "Remind you of something, does it?"

_"I will not fall because of a PROPHECY!" _The goddess screeched indignantly.

"You're right," Jason laughed, "you're falling because of storm."

Percy grinned. "Jason, think you could do the honours? Without dropping me, by the way."

Jason nodded and concentrated on the hurricane, and lightning flickered inside it before suddenly striking the Primordial goddess. The bonds holding the immortals down blackened and seeped back into the ground, and Zeus immediately sent an incredibly powerful bolt of lightning into the hurricane.

"We can't keep her up for much longer," Percy said warningly. "You've got to attack now."

The Titans didn't even hesitate, which said a lot about how they felt about Gaea. Every immortal sent up a blast of energy that hit Gaea, and the Primordial screamed. The earth rumbled as the sound echoed around and Gaea started dissolving from the feet up – the point closest to her domain.

Her ashes landed on the ground, and a maple tree erupted from the soil, climbing towards the sky. There were a few seconds of silence as everyone watched, and then the half-bloods started cheering, and most of the immortals quickly followed. Zeus shut his eyes and crouched down, not really wanted to cheer with them.

"Hey, father?" Apollo asked as he crouched beside the sky god. "You gonna tell them? Or shall I?"

"I will," Zeus sighed.

Apollo nodded. "I'll be right here."

Zeus took a breath before standing up. "EVERYONE SHUT UP!" He roared, and almost immediately silence fell. Zeus rose a dozen feet into the air so everyone could see him before speaking. "Now, I don't exactly know how to say this, but… stop cheering. This isn't the time. Yes, Gaea's gone. And yes, we've won," cheers started up again, but thunder rumbled overhead and they stopped, "but we've also lost. A very important being has died today on Othrys."

There was silence, and then Zeus saw the ichor drain from Kronos' face, and he knew the Titan had figured it out. "Zeus, where's Theron?"

The Titans muttered to each other, and Zeus shut his eyes. "Theron has faded."

Shouts erupted around the battlefield, mostly from the Titans, and many of them were screaming insults at Zeus and calling him a liar. Apollo hovered to Zeus' side. "It's true!" He shouted, "We were there! Ouranos came to escort him to the Void!"

Kronos shut his eyes and tried to block out the accusations by focusing on what the two gods had said. "SHUT UP! ALL OF YOU!" Complete silence immediately fell.

Atlas glared at the gods, his eyes murderous. "They're lying! There's no way Theron's faded!"

"I hardly see how something like that can be faked," Koios said carefully. "It's impossible to copy it, nephew, and you know that."

"I was there too," Jason said as he landed on the ground, Percy at his side. "I saw it all."

"Where?" Kronos asked, his mind racing. "Where did it happen?"

"On the Plateau," Zeus said immediately.

Kronos shot away, time-warping as he went, and he was only a golden blur. The Titans quickly followed, though none of them flashed as they remembered the half-bloods. Zeus shot up to the Plateau using the winds and landed as Kronos appeared over the rise.

The Titan's eyes tunnelled towards the pool of ichor on the ground and StormWraith lying in the golden liquid. The weapon no longer emitted its own power and had lost its glow, and Kronos seemed to be in a trance as he walked towards it. There was a shout from behind Zeus as Styx saw the weapon, and her breathing turned shaky.

"No," Styx sobbed. "He can't… he's… please, not now."

Oceanus quickly made his way to her side and gently turned her away, and he was closely followed by Tethys. The two immortals preceded to try to calm her down and led her away to the edge of the Plateau.

Kronos crouched beside the puddle of ichor, his expression one that Zeus hadn't seen on the Titan's face before, and that worried the god. Kronos frowned. "How?"

Zeus moved closer, trying to ignore the shocked immortals appearing over the rise. "Ouranos said he'd broken an oath to the Fates on the Lord Chaos. And that the price was death. I think that he was also injured from his fight with Porphyrion. He was coughing up ichor and Porphyrion had managed to later stab him in the neck – it was a shallow wound, but still dangerous – I think that from his earlier fight with Porphyrion, when the giant managed to beat him, that his ribs were… crushed."

There was silence, and then Athena spoke up. "Kronos," she said thoughtfully, "did Theron make an oath to you? Before he fought today?"

Kronos shut his eyes. "Yes. He didn't swear it on a river or being, but he did make an oath."

"What was it?" Koios asked curiously, having immediately realised why Athena was asking.

"He said 'I'm _not _going to destroy Othrys or Olympus, and I'll spit in their face to do that if I have to.' I thought the Fates would try something, and they did," Kronos murmured and turned his head to look up at Zeus. "Theron, as you know is… _was _a servant of the Fates. He was sworn to obey them and their orders. I think he disobeyed them, and broke the oath he'd made on the Creator, and he faded as a consequence."

"An oath to keep with a final breath," Hades murmured, and Kronos nodded.

"Theron kept the oath he made to me, and broke the one he made to the Fates," the King said as he looked back at the last place Theron had been. He frowned and reached for something small in the ichor, studying it in his hand as he stood up and turned to face the other immortals, and they saw a ring on the palm of his hand. Kronos slipped it on and twisted it on a whim, and was suddenly holding a shimmering shield.

Zeus' eyes widened. "That's the shield he used against you in the throne room."

Kronos nodded. "He parried my attack to the floor," he murmured as he studied the shield, and then he look up at the night sky – up at the constellations. He turned to Krios and threw him the shield. "Put it up," he ordered.

Krios nodded solemnly and muttered a few words under his breath, and the shield shimmered into a golden mist which the Titan cupped in his hand. The Titan of Constellations studied the stars as if inspecting a masterpiece, and lifted his hand to blow into it, the golden mist floating into the sky. He watched as it disappeared, and a new constellation formed above them.

The image of a man appeared, a trident raised above his head as if he was about to throw it. Artemis narrowed her eyes. "That little bastard," she swore as she saw where the trident was aimed.

Krios smiled slightly and shrugged. "It seems to two of them will have a rivalry," he murmured as he followed the line of the trident to the constellation featuring Zoe Nightshade.

"Or he's just an idiot. Like all males," Artemis retorted.

Kronos sighed and picked up StormWraith, feeling the weapon hum in his grip, and as he did so the Titans' Blade appeared sheathed at his waist. He looked up at the new constellation in the sky. "Yr wyf yn cynnig i chi hwyl fawr, fy mab."

"I bid you goodbye, my son," Rhea repeated in English for Zeus as she passed, and she stopped by Kronos' side. The Titan King wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair, and she put her head under his chin. "He deserves peace," she murmured softly, her voice shaking as she spoke.

"I'd prefer to have him here," Kronos replied quietly.

"I know," Rhea murmured. "Believe me. I know." A tear dropped onto her head from Kronos, and Rhea cried. Zeus found his vision going blurry, and rubbed at his eyes. His hands came away wet.

"There's no point holding it back," Hera's voice said from beside him and her hand slipped into his. "No one else is."

Zeus looked back to see that all of the Titans except Kronos and Rhea had disappeared, probably going to find a place where they can mourn quietly and without anyone seeing. "I was there," he choked. "I saw it all. He didn't go quietly, Hera. He was in pain."

Hera sighed, feeling tears drop onto the ground at her feet, but making no move to cover it up. "I know, Zeus."

Zeus pulled her towards him and hugged her close, unknowingly copying the position their parents were in. All of the immortals on the Plateau didn't move as they mourned for the faded Prince and there they stayed like sentinels watching as Artemis' chariot climbed the sky, all of them waiting for the dawn to come.

* * *

_"Welcome, Theron, to the realm of the faded. To the sky of souls. Welcome to the Void."_

* * *

**Next chapter - A New Age (Epilogue)**

**I made myself cry writing this chapter... also, I've finally put up a cover! Next chapter will be wrapping things up and the new Great Prophecy! What do you think it's going to be about?**

**Theron's kids:**

**Girl:**  
**Iannia  
Adaris  
Akatria - 2  
Alianna (one I thought of)  
Callisto - 1**

**You only have this chapter then the epilogue to vote!**

**Boy:**  
**Krivon**


	62. Epilogue

**Reviews:**

**The Titan of Despair: I feel horrible now. I just finished crying. Callisto sounds nice. *Sniffle* *Sniffle* / ... **

**amazinggalaxy2003: All I came do is sniffle, and... and... bawl! Poor Everyone, especially Styx! Their babies will be beautiful! Callisto, suits, I think / ...**

**I've decided to answer your reviews together, so... / are the two of you mocking me? Because if you are I'll set Kronos on your house (*evil laughter*) and he'll burn it to the ground (just joking), but seriously - don't mock me (hehe). Special thanks to you two for reviewing like every chapter and sticking with me till the end of this story (even through the really, really bad chapters that don't deserve to be posted). **

* * *

**Chapter 62 - Epilogue**

"_-the world has been saved from the brink of disaster. That's all we know now, America. More news to come soon."_ Sally didn't allow herself to relax, knowing that just because the world had been saved it didn't mean Percy survived.

"I'm sure he'll be fine, Sally," Paul said calmly, but even he was tense. "Percy's a clever boy. He'll return."

Sally nodded. "Of course he will," she murmured as she flicked the channel on the TV. It was the same – news coverage of the recent fight in Greece that had apparently ended the night before August the first. It was now August the third, and Percy still hadn't returned. In that time the whole world had been informed of the existence of Greek Mythology – if they hadn't already figured it out in the past year since when Theron removed the Mist – and were very slowly adapting to the change. The gods and Titans had quickly started damage control, mostly regarding the many religions around the world. There had been many riots about it all being a massive world-wide trick, and just as many in return about switching to Hellenic Polytheism, the religion that worshipped the Greek deities. Kronos and Zeus together had come up with a compromise. Christianity would continue worshipping their one God, but they now had a name for him – Chaos the Creator. The devil – or Satan – was now called Order. Every other religion had been allowed to remain in the same way that Christianity was. Crime rates had dropped tremendously now that everyone knew about the Fields of Punishment and Tartarus, and peace was common.

Monsters had been running wild since the final battle and demititans and demigods had been seen publicly killing them and stopping them from causing anymore chaos. The Black Fortress has crumbled as soon as the Titans had left it, and they settled in California whilst the gods returned to New York.

"Everything's changing," Paul said. "Nothing will ever be the same again."

Sally nodded. "I know. When word gets out that Percy lives here we won't get any rest."

Paul smiled and shrugged. "I'm sure we'll be able to handle it."

Sally sighed and opened her mouth to speak, but there was suddenly shouting outside. She frowned as someone knocked on the door and grabbed the frying pan from its place beside her. "Really, Sally?" Paul asked.

Sally shrugged. "Never knew when you might need it."

Paul just shook his head as he followed her to the front door. Sally opened it, and her eyes widened. "Percy!"

Percy grinned. "Hey, mom," he said, but his eyes were sad, "I'm home."

Sally looked past him to the three immortals standing and trying to ignore the people clamouring for their attention. Poseidon cleared his throat. "May we come in, Sally?"

Sally frowned at the other two immortals, but before she could say anything the woman spoke. "My name is Rhea, Sally," she said kindly, "and I believe you and my husband have already met."

Sally nodded, her eyes narrowing at Kronos. "Come on in."

The three immortals seemed relieved and quickly entered after Percy. "Mom?" Percy asked quietly, "Why do you have a frying pan in your hand?"

Sally smiled sweetly at him. "In case Kronos tries anything, Percy."

Percy grinned. "You don't need to worry about that with Rhea here. I'm pretty sure if we had her last year we'd have stopped the war before it even began with her talking him out of sieging Olympus."

Paul cleared his throat awkwardly. "Would you like anything to drink?"

"No, I'll be fine," Kronos said smoothly. "I prefer to drink something that I know exactly what's in it, anyway."

Poseidon's mouth twitched and he winked at Sally. "He has a problem after the whole nectar and mustard incident."

"Not to be rude or anything," Sally said carefully, "but why, exactly, are the three of you here?"

Percy's expression turned sad. "Well, dad wanted to see you again. Rhea wanted to see you because… you know, you and dad sort of…" he cleared his throat. "Kronos just wanted to be annoying and join us."

Kronos shot Percy an irritated glare. "That's not why. I came to accompany Rhea."

Sally frowned slightly. "Percy, did something happen to Annabeth?"

Percy blinked. "Uh, no, mom."

"Nico?"

"No. Look, mom, maybe you should-"

"Thalia?"

"No. Mom, this isn't the best time-"

"Grover?"

Percy frowned. "No. He's fine... all of my friends are."

"Then why are you upset?" Sally asked curiously.

Percy shifted slightly. "Can we take this to the living room?"

Sally nodded and quickly did so, sitting down in one of the chairs and Paul did the same. Rhea, Poseidon, and Percy all sat, but Kronos opted for standing and leaning against the wall, his eyes focused on the TV still blaring out the news.

"What's happened?" Sally asked.

Percy looked at Kronos expectantly. "Are you gonna tell her, or do you want me to?"

"I will," Kronos said, taking his eyes off the TV. "You remember Theron, yes?" Sally and Paul nodded, remembering the Titan that had visited nearly two weeks ago. Kronos let out a breath. "As you should know, he is… _was _my son, and thus Poseidon's eldest brother."

Sally's eyes widened. "_Was_?"

Kronos nodded slightly. "During the final battle against Gaea and her army he faded," he murmured. "From a broken oath and injuries too great for him to survive from."

"But that's…" Sally trailed off.

"That's why all the monsters and running wild, isn't it?" Paul asked suddenly.

Kronos nodded. "Yes. His presence before kept them in check, but now that he's gone many of them have decided to do what they want."

Sally nodded. "So what's going to happen now? To the world?"

Poseidon smiled slightly. "Now that mortals all know that we're real we can be more active. I'm going to clear the seas and make them as they once were – with no pollution. Zeus will do the same with the sky. Kronos, Rhea, and Demeter have a plan to increase crop yield and stop world hunger, and we're going to sort something out with money to make it fairer. Maybe make more, or maybe change it completely."

"Hyperion has come to me for an idea to replace what you mortals call electricity," Kronos added. "No more of this fossil fuels business."

Sally raised an eyebrow. "He can do that?"

Rhea smiled. "If anyone can, it's Hyperion. He _is _the Titan of Power, and not just Light."

Kronos nodded. "It should work, and then-" A screen shimmered into existence in front of him.

"My Oracle's just given the next Great Prophecy," Apollo said hurriedly.

Kronos raised an eyebrow. "And?"

Apollo cleared his throat:

"_Fate shall fight with immortals once enemies, _

_Children of the pantheons will join with legacies._

_When mortals unite under two flags to recover their strings, _

_The Stars will lead with flightless wings. _

_An ancient rhyme of the once damned,_

_Will show the immortals what they must withstand."_

"Immortals?" Percy asked, his voice irritated. "Damn you Apollo!"

Apollo shrugged. "Hey, you're the one that accepted the offer. Immortality isn't just living forever, kid. Surely you should know that. Anyway, Zeus wants to gather soon to discuss the prophecy. It sounds pretty bad."

"Tell him I know the last two lines," Kronos said calmly. "That should satisfy his curiosity for now."

Apollo raised an eyebrow. "Really? What's it about?"

"An old tale given to Rhea from Gaea, and claimed to have come from Chaos itself. The _Dyfarniad Ffawd yn_."

Apollo cleared his throat. "English, please."

"Fate's Judgement," Kronos said. "It tells of a war against Fate itself. Against the three Fates and Ananke."

"Another war?" Percy grumbled.

"Not for a while yet," Kronos murmured. "But when will it happen?" He spread his arms out in a hopeless gesture. "I can't say."

Apollo nodded. "Well, finish up soon will you? We've got to figure this out."

Kronos nodded. "We will."

* * *

"I thought I'd find you up here," someone said, and the being sighed.

"What do you want?" He asked.

"You should be celebrating. They won! The world was saved!"

"None of them are celebrating, so why should I?"

"You're not them anymore, cousin. You've faded," The Titan said bluntly. "Come on, you haven't even talked to Chase yet! You've been here nearly two days and you've only been here like a sentinel, looking down on them like some stalker. You've got to live, Theron, even in death."

Theron continued looking down, sitting on the very edge of the Void and watching the gods and Titans. "I lived enough in life, and now I have nothing, Pallas. Stop trying to get me to join in with the feast that's celebrating my fade."

Pallas sighed and sat beside his cousin. "You've seriously got to talk to Chase. And Helios. And Selene. And Eos. There's Zoe Nightshade – the daughter of Atlas – and Sagittarius. Laelaps and the Teumessian fox, and Draco. This a whole other land for you, Theron, and you've got to make the most of it."

Theron scowled at his cousin. "I hardly think Chase will want to talk to me."

Pallas rolled his eyes. "Look, he knows you couldn't have shown up here unless you faded, Theron. Stop being an idiot and come join us. Come on, cousin. There's no point in not enjoying your afterlife. Besides, you're watching over them, Theron. You know the rules – no direct interference."

Theron rolled his eyes. "I know, Pallas."

Pallas glared at him. "Alright, that's it. Get over there or I'll drag your sorry arse, and that won't make a good first impression."

Theron finally tore his gaze away from earth. "I hardly think you'd be able to drag me away if you even tried," he smirked.

Pallas shrugged. "Wanna bet?" He asked, holding his hand out towards Theron. The Prince looked at it for several moments, took one glance down at earth, and reached up to take it. Pallas pulled him to his feet and grinned. "See? That wasn't so hard, was it?"

Theron scowled down at his younger cousin. "Shut it or I'll throw you off the Void," he threatened, but followed Pallas when the Titan strode away. "Why're you insisting on my 'socialising', anyway?" Theron demanded.

Pallas rolled his eyes. "_Dyfarniad Ffawd yn,_ Theron. We've all got to be ready. It's approaching."

"You mean that little Titanling tale we used to be told?" Theron asked in amusement. "The one that isn't real?"

Pallas spun around to face him. "It _is _real, cousin. Lord Chaos said so, and it's approaching. You faded for a reason, Theron, and that reason was created long before you were even born." He took a step closer and jabbed Theron in the chest. "So you'd better start acting like the Prince I know you are, because we'll all have to work as a team when it happens. All of us up here will have to, and that's why you need to talk to them! You need to be able to trust them to have your back in a fight."

Theron scowled. "I trust you, Eos, Helios, and Selene. No one else."

"Not even Chase?" Pallas asked.

Theron hesitated. "I haven't met him yet," he said eventually.

Pallas grinned triumphantly. "Exactly!" He beamed, "And that's why you need to socialise, so come on. Celebrate. Have fun, because this is the Void!"

Theron sniffed. "Fine. Go," he said, gesturing to the dozens of beings wandering around a buffet, "I'll follow."

"You'd better," Pallas growled before sprinting off to where Theron could see the three other faded Titans.

Theron sighed as he watched, and then he made his way through the party towards Chase. Beings patted him on the back and talked excitedly with him as he went by, and all of them seemed incredibly pleased to see him. Theron cleared his throat as he came up behind Chase and Ouranos, the two beings talking on the edge of the party.

When Ouranos saw Theron he immediately said goodbye to Chase and strode off through the party, leaving Theron alone with the one being that he apparently had to talk to. "You're Theron," Chase said bluntly, his golden eyes shimmering as he looked Theron up and down. "I was wondering when you'd decide to stop feeling sorry for yourself and join us."

Theron shifted slightly, not wanting to snap at Chase. "I'm sure you understand why I felt that. I had children that won't ever see me now."

Chase raised an eyebrow. "No, actually. I don't."

Theron frowned. "Right," he said uncertainly. "You've never actually been on earth, have you?"

Chase shook his head. "No."

"You're-"

"The kid that Theia killed in the womb before he could be born?" Chase asked, his mouth twitching slightly. "Yeah. That's me. Your first-born child… well, not technically born, but you get the point."

"If I'd known-"

"Save it," Chase said in amusement. "It's fine. I get it, father. Besides, it's not like you could have visited me whenever you want."

Theron nodded in relief. "So you don't hate me?"

Chase laughed. "I couldn't even if I tried," he grinned. "I inherited Rhea's flaw of Personal Loyalty," he grimaced slightly. "It's annoying sometimes." He frowned at Theron for several moments. "What's your flaw?" He asked finally.

Theron raised an eyebrow. "You don't know?" Chase just waited for him to continue, and Theron sighed. "Power and Personal Loyalty."

Chase rolled his eyes. "No, it isn't."

"What?"

"Your fatal flaw's recklessness, father. It's your inability to think things through, and personal loyalty and power are the things that make you the most reckless," Chase said.

Theron faltered. "How do you know that?"

Chase laughed. "I've been watching you since the day I was killed and faded, father. I think I'd know by now."

Theron scowled at him. "All the time?"

Chase's grin widened. "Absolutely. Oh, and congratulations, father. Styx is an excellent choice. Of course, I could have gone without the image of the two of you having sex, but that's beside the point."

Theron glared at him. "You little bastard," he growled.

Chase just grinned. "Hey, do you want to go hunting tomorrow?"

"Hunting?" Theron asked, momentarily forgetting his argument.

Chase rolled his eyes. "Yes, hunting. With bows and arrows. Remember it?"

Theron glared at him. "Of course."

"Oh, good. Because Zoe will be disappointed if you've forgotten. I've been bragging that you're better than her."

Theron's eyes widened. "But she's a Hunter! She'll castrate me!"

Chase shrugged. "Hey, we can't die here. We're just brought back the next night. That includes any severed body parts."

"Something tells me there's a story there," Theron said raising an eyebrow.

Chase just shrugged. "I'll tell you tomorrow on the Hunt… you _are _coming, right?"

Theron nodded. "Of course."

"Come on. I know you want to ask," Chase smirked.

Theron frowned. "What are you the Titan _of, _exactly?"

Chase's smirk widened. "Immortality and death."

Theron raised an eyebrow. "Two completely different concepts."

Chase nodded. "Oh, and the Void."

Theron's eyes widened. "The Void?"

"Yes," Chase said as his eyes flickered over to the buffet table, and he lifted a finger. Two glasses of nectar floated over to them, and Chase held one out towards Theron. "To the Lord Chaos and the Void?"

Theron grinned and nodded, taking the glass. "To the Lord Chaos," he repeated before drinking the nectar in one.

* * *

**And that's done. Theron's not gone forever guys... nope, he'll be back in the next story, along with a whole load of new characters from the Void! **

**This story was started in September... I think _(I just checked... it was posted one day before my birthday...)_. It feels so weird knowing this is the last chapter, but there's more to come.**

**Look out for the first chapter in the next story which will be called 'The Lost Son saga - Fate's Judgement'... well, that's what the name is at the moment. It might change if I can think of a better name... **

**Theron's daughter:  
****Iannia  
Adaris  
Akatria - 2  
Alianna  
Callisto - 3****  
**

**Last chapter to vote everyone! The two kids will be featured in the first chapter of the next story! So choose wisely.**


	63. Next story

**If you haven't already realised, the next story is up! You'll be able to find it on my profile (obviously).**

**It's called 'The Lost Son - Fate's Judgement'**


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